GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
JANUARY 2021
INDIA
Close
to 120 mm of rain fell in Chennai, India, the city's highest rainfall in a
single day for the month of January since 1915 (5th). The heavy
downpour resulted in flooding in many parts of the city. Meenambakkam and
Nungambakkam registered 50 and 60 mm of rain, respectively, in a 24-hour period
on Tuesday morning. By Tuesday evening, the two stations had registered 80 and
100 mm of rain, respectively. Many other areas, such as Tarmani, received up to
120 mm.
EUROPE
Spain
registered its lowest temperature on record with Catalan Pyrenees station
recording 34.1C (6th). The previous record had stood since 2 February
1956, when -32C was measured in Estany-Gento, Lleida Province. Wednesday's
record cold occurred under calm conditions and clear skies.
Storm
Filomena has blanketed parts of Spain in heavy snow, with half of the country on
red alert for more on Saturday (8th-10th). Madrid's
airport has closed along with a number of roads. On Friday evening, a number of
vehicles became stranded on a motorway near the capital. Firefighters were
called in to assist drivers who had become stuck. In some areas the military
were called in to help clear roads. According to local media, the snowfall in
Madrid is the heaviest in at least 80 years. The country's AEMET weather agency
said the snowfall was "exceptional and most likely historic". In Canada Real,
the largest shanty town in western Europe, residents were seen creating a
bonfire to keep warm. Madrid on Sunday began working to clear snow from the
blizzard. In the city center, street cleaners worked to clear snow from busy
pedestrian areas and footpaths. About 50 cm of snow fell in Madrid by Sunday. By
then, the bodies of a man and woman were recovered by the Andalucia region
emergency service after their car was washed away by a flooded river near the
town of Fuengirola. The Interior Ministry said a 54-year-old man was also found
dead in Madrid under a big pile of snow. A homeless man died of hypothermia in
the northern city of Zaragoza, the local police department reported.
People
in central Spain are struggling as a deep freeze follows the weekend's heavy
snow, leading to treacherous conditions (12th). Officials have warned
the elderly to stay at home. At least seven people have died due to the weather
- the two latest victims were homeless people in Barcelona. The temperature
plunged to -25C in Molina de Aragon and Teruel, in mountains east of Madrid.
Deep snow left by Storm Filomena has turned to ice, disrupting transport. There
has been an extraordinary quantity of snow and ice for Spain, where winters are
usually quite mild.
Storm
Hortense left a trail of destruction after it made landfall in Mallorca, Spain
(23rd). Significant damage was reported across the island and at
least 2 people were injured. Aemet reported a gust of 130 km/h at Son Sant
Airport, which broke a record set in February 1996 at 118 km/h. In the
Tramuntana Mountains, a gust of 144 km/h was registered at the Alfabia weather
station, though gusts elsewhere reached 170 km/h. According to Spanish media, 26
roads in Mallorca were closed to due landslides and a number of downed trees.
UNITED
STATES
A
powerful windstorm hit the Pacific Northwest leaving at least two people dead
and more than half a million people without electricity (13th). The
storm left a trail of damage, caused a landslide that shut down a highway, and
produced a historic wind gust of 71 mph at Spokane International Airport. More
than 430000 customers lost electrical service elsewhere in Washington state and
Oregon, officials said. The fatalities were due to falling trees.
A
potent winter storm hit Northern California, bringing flooding rains and heavy
mountain snow. Up to 36 cm of snow was recorded in the Tahoe region overnight
(27th-28th). The storm prompted flood warnings and threats
of mudslides, including in areas previously burned bare by wildfires. About 5000
people remained under evacuation orders as the threat of flooding persisted in
the Santa Cruz mountains.
ASIA
A huge
snowstorm has struck a highway in north Japan, causing a 130-car pile-up,
killing one person and injuring 10 (19th). The storm blanketed a
stretch of the Tohoku Expressway in Miyagi prefecture at around 0300 GMT. Some
200 people have been caught up in the pile-up and rescuers are currently at the
scene, officials said. Japan has been hit by severe snow storms in recent weeks
with some parts of the country seeing double the average expected snowfall. The
snow has affected some of Japan's high-speed railway network, with a number of
train services in the Tohoku region cancelled.
SOUTH
AMERICA
Flooding and landslides killed at least two people in Santa Catarina, Brazil,
after 104 mm of rain fell in a six-hour period - equivalent to half a month's
worth of January rain (24th-25th). Heavy rainfall has been
lashing Florianopolis in Santa Catarina since 21 January. More downpours hit the
state in the following days, with almost 40 mm in a 1-hour period on Sunday.
According to the Civil Defense, 86 mm of rain fell in a 3-hour period.
Floodwaters and landslide debris blocked roads, as well as other parts of the
city. The fire service evacuated 70 people in the Lagoa da Conceicao
neighborhood after embankments of a sewage treatment pond collapsed, resulting
in at least 35 homes being damaged.
AUSTRAILIA
Parts
of Victoria, Australia, had a month's worth of rain in 12 hours while New South
Wales was hit by historic rainfall (28th-29th). Melbourne
metro recorded 40 mm in just four hours, almost hitting the average January rain
of 47 mm. In a 24-hour period to Friday morning, widespread rainfall totals of
20 to 40 mm were recorded across the state's western region, while totals of 60
to 70 mm were recorded in the upper Avoca and Wimmera catchments. The deluge
resulted in inundations, prompting state emergency services to rescue trapped
people. Most of the rescues were stranded drivers and passengers in their
vehicles.
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