GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
FEBRUARY 2021
UNITED
STATES
A
powerful winter storm blasted the U.S. Northeast, bringing heavy snow and high
winds that led to power outages for more than 22000 customers throughout the
region (1st). This major Nor'easter prompted advisories and warnings
from Tennessee to Maine, with a snow emergency issued for Philadelphia and a
state of emergency declared for New York City and New Jersey on Sunday night.
"It`s the storm of the century," said New Jersey snowplough operator James
Carew, who has been in the field of work for 30 years. Power outages driven by
heavy wind and snow cut power to more than 14000 customers in Massachusetts
solely, 4000 in New Jersey, 3000 in New York, and 1200 in Connecticut More than
1600 flights have been cancelled at major airports in the Nor'easter's path,
including Newark Liberty International Airport, John F Kennedy Airport, and
Philadelphia International Airport. In New York, Central Park received more than
38 cm on late Monday, placing the storm in the top 20 snowstorms in the city's
recorded history. The highest snowfall total recorded on the East Coast was in
Newton, New Jersey, with up to 81 cm of snow.
Parts
of Texas are blanketed in a thick layer of ice(1th-15th). The state
is seeing some of its coldest temperatures in more than 30 years, with some
areas breaking records that are more than a century old. Parts of Texas hit -18C
today. According to the US National Weather Service (NWS), this is down to an
"Arctic outbreak" that originated just above the US-Canada border, bringing a
winter snow storm as well as plummeting temperatures. For the first time in the
US state, all 254 counties are under a winter storm warning, US media report.
The temperature in Dallas is already colder than in Anchorage, Alaska, CBS News
reports. Rotating power outages have been initiated by the state's power grid
operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot), early on Monday, to
reduce demand on the electricity system. Nearly 120 car accidents were reported
on Sunday. Hundreds of flights in and out of the state have also been cancelled.
A
winter storm in the US has brought deadly freezing winds, ice and snow to many
regions that rarely see such frigid conditions (1th-16th). At least
11 deaths have been blamed on the widespread storm. Deaths have been reported in
Tennessee, Texas, Kentucky and Louisiana. In North Carolina, a tornado spawned
by the same storm left three dead and 10 injured early on Tuesday morning. The
freezing storm even reached northern parts of Mexico where more than four
million homes and businesses lost power early on Monday. A pile-up on a major
highway near Oklahoma City during a snowstorm on Sunday left several lorries on
fire. The George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and the city's Hobby
Airport were both closed until at least Tuesday afternoon. The city of Abilene,
home to about 125,000 residents, shut off water services after all of the city's
treatment plants lost power. Temperatures in the city of Dallas have been colder
than in Anchorage, Alaska, CBS News reported. In Louisiana, some local
authorities have imposed curfews to keep people off the icy roads. The state is
also suffering power cuts and traffic disruption. Oregon, which was hit by an
ice storm, saw nearly 250,000 people and businesses without power on Tuesday.
AUSTRAILIA
A
broad band of rain and storms hit New South Wales, Australia 1st-2nd).
The Bathurst region was drenched by nearly a month's worth of rain in about
eight hours - up to 43.4 mm fell from 0830 UTC on the 1st to 1700 UTC, close to
the long-term February average of 57.8 mm. There has been 54.2 mm of rain
recorded for the month so far.
At
least 5 people have died in a massive pileup crash on Interstate 35-West near
downtown Fort Worth, Texas that took place at about 06:00 CST, February 11,
2021. A Mass Casualty Incident has been declared. According to Fort Worth Fire
Department spokesman, Michael Drivdahl, about 100 vehicles were involved in the
pile-up, likely caused by ice.
SOUTH
AMERICA
At
least 10 people have died in central and southern Paraguay after heavy rainfall
over the past few days triggered severe floods and landslides (5th).
According to the Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMP), several areas
in the central region recorded 500 mm (20 inches) more rainfall than the January
average. Heavy rains intensified during storms that began on 31 January. The DMH
reported 144 mm of rain in a 24 hour period to February 1 in Luque City. About
173.8 mm fell in the following 24 hour period in Paraguari, and another 100.2 mm
in Oviedo. Strong winds reached up to 140 km/h in other areas, particularly in
Canindeyu Department. The National Emergency Secretariat said they assisted
flood victims in Yaguaron, Paraguari Department, and Caacupe in Cordillera
Departments. Severe flooding was also reported in Tobati and Pribebuy.
Torrential rains lashed Belo Horizonte in Brazil over the weekend, causing
damaging floods that prompted the Civil Defense to issue alerts for the West,
Pampulha, and Venda Nova regions (7th). In the south-central region,
about 234.6 mm of rain fell in a 72 hour period, which exceeded the February
average of 181.4 mm. Persistent heavy rains caused severe flooding in Belo
Horizonte, affecting many houses and buildings. Locals said as streams
overflowed, floodwaters dragged away vehicles on roads. In the Vila Suzana I
neighborhood, at least 47 people were stranded and rescued by firefighters,
including families. In Santa Luzia, Rio das Velhas overflowed, forcing about 300
people to flee their homes.
Heavy
rainfall since mid-February has triggered widespread, severe flooding in Madre
de Dios, Peru, leaving at least 15000 people affected and thousands of property
damage (23rd). This has prompted the government to declare a state of
emergency for the region for 60 days. According to environment minister Gabriel
Quijandria, floodwaters damaged about 4000 homes, several schools and health
facilities, and around 3000 ha of crops. The affected areas include Pueblo
Viejo, Las Piedras, Laberinto, and Boca Colorado. Puerto Maldonado registered
150.8 mm of rain in a 24-hour period to February 19. The Madre de Dios River was
also at a red alert level, according to the National Meteorology and Hydrology
Service.
EUROPE
The
Netherlands has been hit by its first major snowstorm in a decade, forecasters
say, as cold weather pushes through much of northern Europe (7th).
Dutch authorities have closed all coronavirus testing centers because of the
extreme weather. Transport has been disrupted and rail connections with Germany,
where northern areas have also been blanketed by snow, have been suspended. The
cold snap is a result of Storm Darcy, which has also affected parts of the UK. A
"Code Red" weather warning was declared in the Netherlands for all of Sunday,
meaning winds of up to 90 km/h and "bitter cold" were forecast. Heavy snow fell
throughout much of the day, leading to long delays on the roads. People were
advised to avoid travelling and there were reports of dozens of cars skidding
off streets. Eindhoven airport closed and incoming flights were diverted to
Germany, while Schiphol airport in Amsterdam warned that travelers could face
delays.
An air
mass boundary that separated cold air in the north from very mild air in the
south lay over northern Germany at the beginning of February. By the 10th the
cold air covered all of Germany. A deep blanket of fresh snow and a cloudless
sky led to icy nights with very severe frost, especially in central Germany (10th-25th).
It was coldest nationwide on the 10th in
Muhlhausen-Gormar, to the north-west of Erfurt, with -26.7C. A significant
change to a southerly flow then brought spring-like warmth within a few days.
There was a huge increase in temperature of over 40 degC locally. In some areas
the temperature rose to over 20C for several days in a row. Ohlsbach, south-east
of Offenburg, registered the highest value in Germany on the 25th with 22.0C.
MIDDLE
EAST
A
violent storm produced damaging hail and a powerful tornado in Izmir, Turkey,
leaving at least 18 people injured and dozens of homes damaged (11th).
Hailstorms also inflicted damage to nearly 700 greenhouses in the Urla area. A
powerful waterspout formed in Cesme District, overturning a crane, knocking over
some vehicles, and leaving about 18 people injured when it hit land. Many of the
injured victims were workers staying in prefabricated housing units at a
construction site in Alcati when the crane collapsed on the units. Izmir
governor Yavuz Selim Kosger described the event as unprecedented.
Heavy
snow over parts of the Middle East, including Syria, Lebanon, and Israel led to
the blocking of roads and disruption to normal life (16th-17).
According to local media reports, the snow has already blocked some of the roads
in Syria, including in capital Damascus, disrupted traffic, and postponed exams
at some universities. Syrian Arab News Agency reported snow as deep as 15 cm in
Um Houran area in Dahir al-Jabal, indicating that many roads in the mountainous
regions are barely passable.
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