Category Archives: Extreme weather

Floods force road trains supplying Kimberley to detour extra 7,400km via SA and NT

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Trucks normally travel direct from Perth to Fitzroy Crossing but new return trip halfway across Australia is ‘equal to a one-way trip from Paris to Vladivostok’

Triple road trains delivering essential supplies to Western Australia’s flood-stricken Kimberley communities face week-long 12,000km return trips from Perth as they are forced to detour halfway across the country due to washed-out roads and bridges.

Instead of travelling directly from Perth to the Kimberley region – a 4,600km return trip – trucks will be forced east to Port Augusta in South Australia, before travelling the length of Australia to Katherine in the Northern Territory, then heading back west to WA.

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Two dead as ‘bomb cyclone’ brings heavy winds and rain to California

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Officials order evacuations in high-risk coastal area in latest in rapid series of ‘atmospheric rivers’ to hit state

It has been a deadly and destructive start to the year in California, as a series of severe storms slammed the state this week, toppling trees, submerging streets and sending water cascading into homes and businesses.

The latest storm hit hard on Thursday – a powerful “atmospheric river” that brought with it hurricane-force winds and torrents of rain. At least two deaths have been reported in connection with the latest storm, including a child whose home was hit by a falling tree in Sonoma county. By Thursday morning, more than 163,500 people were without power, with little reprieve in sight.

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Broome isolated by WA floods which could cut off remote Indigenous communities for weeks

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Ex-tropical Cyclone Ellie brings once-in-a-century flooding, forcing evacuations and road closures

Towns are cut off and residents have been evacuated in military planes during “the worst flooding Western Australia has ever seen”.

Authorities are working to let remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley region know of the danger, to relocate those who want to leave and deliver critical supplies. Derby, Broome and Noonkanbah have already been isolated.

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Lifesavers rescue 1,200 over holiday period in Australia – as it happened

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‘Challenging night’ for WA fire crews in south-west

Earlier today, Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services incident controller Peter Thomas said it had been a “challenging night” for fire crews in the south-west, as bushfires threaten the region.

So our volunteers from the Donnybrook area across the south-west [who have] come to deal with this incident.

We’ve had some strong winds that have been coming consistently from the east, but been fairly strong and making it challenging for our crews.

When we allow sportspeople from Russia to participate in the Australian Open, we do exactly what Putin wants.

It doesn’t matter what flag Russian Federation players compete under. It has Ukrainian blood on it.

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Fears for remote WA towns as Fitzroy River records one of highest flow rates in Australia

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Amount of water surging down river in one day equivalent to what Perth uses in 20 years, Bureau of Meteorology says

Kimberley residents are worried they could run out of food and fuel as a once-in-a-century flood isolates remote towns in Western Australia’s far north, with authorities saying the Fitzroy River is experiencing “one of the highest flow rates ever seen” in Australia.

Fitzroy Crossing, Broome and other towns were expected to be cut off as the waters rose.

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‘Extreme event’: warm January weather breaks records across Europe

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At least eight countries experience record high temperatures of ‘almost unheard of’ heat, say meteorologists

Weather records have been falling across Europe at a disconcerting rate in the last few days, say meteorologists.

The warmest January day ever was recorded in at least eight European countries including Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia, according to data collated by Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist who tracks extreme temperatures.

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Philippines searches for survivors after dozens killed in floods and landslides

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Rain-induced floods and landslides unlike previous disasters in the country, which are typically triggered by severe typhoons

Rescue teams across nine provinces in the Philippines raced to try to locate 26 people missing after weekend rains, floods and landslides that have killed at least 25 people, in one of its deadliest weather events this year.

The national disaster agency on Wednesday said casualties reported so far had increased to 25 from 17 the previous day, with most deaths caused by drowning from flash floods.

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Biggest climate toll in year of ‘devastating’ disasters revealed

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Most expensive storm cost $100bn while deadliest floods killed 1,700 and displaced 7 million, report finds

The 10 most expensive storms, floods and droughts in 2022 each cost at least $3bn (£2.5bn) in a “devastating” year on the frontline of the climate crisis, a report shows.

Christian Aid has highlighted the worst climate-related disasters of the year asmore intense storms, heavy downpours and droughts are driven by rising global temperatures as a result of human activity.

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US braces for more deaths as ‘blizzard of the century’ grips nation

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Rescue crews struggle to reach stranded residents in Buffalo, New York, where dozens have been killed in winter storms

Emergency crews in New York were scrambling to rescue marooned residents from what authorities called the “blizzard of the century,” a relentless storm that has left 27 dead in the state and taken at least 60 lives nationwide, according to an NBC News tally.

In New York state, authorities have described ferocious conditions, particularly in Buffalo, with hours-long whiteouts, bodies being discovered in vehicles and under snow banks, and emergency personnel going “car to car” searching for more motorists, alive or dead.

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Stories of survival and rescue emerge from ‘war with mother nature’ in Buffalo

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Amid a deadly winter storm, heart-warming tales spring forth of neighbors assisting stranded tourists and helping deliver babies

As the US reels from a winter storm that has killed nearly 50 people nationwide, stories of hope and resilience have nonetheless emerged from America’s hardest hit region, western New York state.

This storm, which has resulted in 27 deaths around the city of Buffalo, brought hurricane-force winds and nearly four feet of snow in parts of the region, thwarting first responders’ emergency response and rescue efforts. “This is a war with mother nature, and she has been hitting us with everything she has,” New York’s governor Kathy Hochul said.

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At least 48 people dead in US winter storm as freezing conditions to continue

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Buffalo and surrounding area in western New York hit especially hard as power knocked out and many travelers stranded

Freezing conditions from a deadly winter storm in the United States will continue into the week as western New York deals with massive snowdrifts that have snarled emergency vehicles, and travelers across the country see cancelled flights and dangerous roads.

The storm has killed at least 48 people and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

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Huge ‘bomb cyclone’ storm hits US with life-threatening cold as holidays begin

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More than 60% of US faces winter weather warnings, with temperatures drastically below normal in many places

A wild winter storm enveloped much of the US on Saturday, bringing blizzards, freezing rain, flooding and intense cold close to record lows. More than a dozen deaths were attributed to the storm. Holiday travel and utilities were disrupted, with around 1.4 million homes and businesses left without power by late afternoon.

Forecasters said the storm, a “bomb cyclone” or “bombogenesis”, was caused by a collision of cold, dry air from the north and warm, moist air from the south.

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‘Once in a generation’ freeze for Christmas as bomb cyclone hits US

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Power outages leave more than 1.4 million homes and businesses in the dark, while thousands of US flights were canceled

The w​inter storm that forecasters dubbed Elliott intensified into a bomb cyclone near the Great Lakes on Friday, bringing high winds and blizzard conditions from the Northern Plains to western and upstate New York, along with life-threatening flooding, flash-freezing and travel chaos as it went.

More than 4,600 flights were canceled as of 3pm, on top of 2,700 cancellations Thursday, grounding tens of thousands of holiday travelers in airports with limited expectations of making further progress, according to FlightAware.

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Texans brace for freezing weather in hopes storm won’t be repeat of 2021

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Experts say temperatures won’t get as cold as 2021 storm, with expected minimum around 10F

Nervous Texans are preparing for a freezing blast of Arctic air on Thursday but it is not predicted to be a repeat of the disastrous winter storm that struck the state in 2021, crippling large parts of the state’s power infrastructure and killing scores of people.

Residents have been warned to brace for extremely cold weather and to stock up on essentials like bottled water and non-perishable foods in case of power outages and food supply chain issues like those experienced during winter storm Uri in February 2021, when millions of Texans were left without power and 246 people died.

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Floods and landslides kill scores of people in Kinshasa

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Dozens of people injured after heavy rain destroys houses and ruins roads in DRC’s capital

At least 100 people have been killed and dozens injured in widespread floods and landslides caused by heavy rain in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kinshasa.

The prime minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, said officials were still searching for more bodies.

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‘When will the rain stop?’: Australia’s most searched words on Google in 2022

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Australians also searched for ‘floods’ and ‘La Niña’ more than any other country in the world

Australians searched for “floods”, “La Niña” and “when will the rain stop?” more than any other country in the world in 2022, according to Google.

As a year of floods and wet weather hit large parts of the eastern seaboard, Google recorded more searches for “mould” in Australia than ever before.

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Temperatures forecast to reach mid-40s as heatwave hits northern Australia

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North of Western Australia, NT and Queensland to swelter in up to 47C as ‘monsoon break’ allows build-up of intensely hot air mass

Temperatures are expected to soar across northern Australia over the coming days as a heatwave spreads across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said hot air was building over the north-west of the continent and moving east, driving temperatures in some areas as high as 5C to 6C above average.

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Anger grows as illegal construction partly blamed for landslide deaths on Italian island

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Seven confirmed dead and search continues for people missing after Saturday’s disaster on Ischia

As rescuers continued to search for five people still missing after a catastrophic landslide in Ischia, anger was growing on the southern Italian island on Sunday over the years of rampant illegal construction that contributed to the disaster.

Seven people, including a three-week-old baby and a pair of young siblings, are confirmed to have died in Saturday’s landslide, which was triggered by a violent storm that sent mud and debris from Monte Epomeo, a 789-metre (2,590ft) peak, crashing into the hamlet of Casamicciola Terme. One victim – 32-year-old Eleonora Sirabella – has been named. The others, who include the infant boy’s parents, a five-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother, a 31-year-old island resident and a Bulgarian tourist, have not yet been officially identified.

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A woman dies and 10 people missing after landslide on Italian island of Ischia

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Island near Naples was engulfed by heavy rain, causing a landslide that flooded homes and swept away cars

A woman has died and 10 people are missing after a severe storm triggered a landslide on the Italian island of Ischia.

The island, in the Gulf of Naples, was engulfed by heavy rain overnight, with the landslide hitting the hamlet of Casamicciola Terme early on Saturday morning, flooding homes and sweeping away several cars.

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Gordon Brown says China must pay into climate fund for poor countries

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Former prime minister says US and Europe will pay biggest share of loss and damage fund, but China must too

China must pay into a new fund for poor countries stricken by climate-driven disaster on the basis of its high greenhouse gas emissions and large economy, the former UK prime minister Gordon Brown has said.

“America and Europe will have to provide most, but China will have to contribute more too,” he told the Guardian.

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