Category Archives: Extreme weather

Climate change could make insurance too expensive for most people – report

Posted on by

Munich Re, world’s largest reinsurance firm, warns premium rises could become social issue

Insurers have warned that climate change could make cover for ordinary people unaffordable after the world’s largest reinsurance firm blamed global warming for $24bn (£18bn) of losses in the Californian wildfires.

Ernst Rauch, Munich Re’s chief climatologist, told the Guardian that the costs could soon be widely felt, with premium rises already under discussion with clients holding asset concentrations in vulnerable parts of the state.

Continue reading...

Townsville floods: dam management under scrutiny as experts demand greater preparation

Posted on by

Study rates this week’s unprecedented monsoonal rainfall as comparable to a one in 1,000-year flood

Australian authorities must plan for more severe floods, experts have warned, amid concern that the management of the Townsville Ross River dam contributed to extensive flooding when a massive amount of water was released downstream.

The decision to open the floodgates when the dam water level reached 43m was based on a 2012 study that warned doing so could cause more extensive property damage during the most extreme flooding events.

Continue reading...

Queensland floods: Townsville reels under record water levels as more rain arrives

Posted on by

There are several more days to go in this flood event, Bureau of Meteorology warns

Queensland authorities have said the state’s north was entering “unprecedented territory” as monsoon rains battered the city of Townsville, setting record flood levels and destroying homes.

As the natural disaster entered its four day, the state emergency service confirmed on Saturday that 80 people had been rescued. It was too early to quantify the damage to homes, although some media reports said at least 50 homes had been affected so far.

Continue reading...

Queensland warned to prepare for ‘dangerous’ flooding as premier declares disaster

Posted on by

Bureau of Meteorology expecting rainfall totals of up to 400mm per day for multiple days

Residents in northern Queensland have been warned to prepare for more downpours and flooding over the weekend and into next week amid a monsoon that has dumped more than 1.2 metres of rain in some places.

A huge swath of the state stretching 850km from Daintree in far north Queensland to Mackay in the southern end of the tropical belt has been designated as a flood watch zone. The area includes the Great Barrier Reef tourist centre of Cairns as well as parts of Cape York peninsula in the far north.

Continue reading...

Polar vortex: -46C temperatures turn Chicago River to ice – video report

Posted on by

A blast of Arctic air from the polar vortex has caused temperatures to drop to as low as -46C (-50F) in Chicago. Cities in the midwest opened warming shelters as temperatures plummeted well below zero. The Illinois governor warned the weather 'poses a serious threat' to people's wellbeing. The polar vortex, a mass of freezing air, usually spins around the North Pole

Continue reading...

‘I had to open a window’: New Zealanders poke fun at tepid ‘heatwave’

Posted on by

Some describe having to take it easy on the stairs after heatwave reports leave them cold

New Zealanders have poked fun at health warnings issued after the country was hit by a heatwave that reached only 25C in some of the country’s main cities.

Some described how they had to pause – briefly – while climbing the stairs, and open windows in 21C heat, a far cry from the temperatures of over 49C recorded in Australia as a result of the same weather system.

Continue reading...

Australian heatwave: Adelaide breaks 80-year-old temperature record – live

Posted on by

With high temperatures also forecast for Victoria and NSW, there are warnings about potential power outages and blackouts, as well as total fire bans amid worsening weather. Follow developments live

Yes please.

Elite marketing by Royal Park Foodland #adelaideheatwave pic.twitter.com/IMMLZdywLq

Just on the issue of heatwaves and climate change, the ABC Melbourne presenter Rafael Epstein has pointed to recent statements from Victoria’s Bureau of Meteorology (Bom).

Just in case someone says hot weather has nothing to do with climate change

"Australia's climate is increasingly influenced by global warming... has warmed by just over one degree since 1910, with most of the warming occurring since 1950."

From @BOM_Vic this month

Continue reading...

Parts of Europe blanketed by heavy snowfall – video

Posted on by

Heavy snowfall has caused chaos in Germany and Austria, as both countries remain on high alert. Several people have died in weather-related incidents. Troops have been deployed to help residents and helicopters are clearing snow from trees to stop it from falling on cars.

Continue reading...

Heavy snow brings chaos and death to Germany and Austria

Posted on by

Alpine regions remain on high alert after 12 people are killed in weather-related incidents

Parts of Germany and Austria remain on high alert after extreme snow in Alpine regions, where 12 people have died in weather-related incidents.

A nine-year-old German boy was the latest victim of the extreme weather, which has resulted in residents becoming snowed-in and motorists trapped for hours in freezing temperatures.

Continue reading...