GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

JUNE 2018

EUROPE

People in both France and Germany have died after floods hit both countries (1^st). There were floods across the states of Bavaria and Baden-Wurtemberg in southern Germany. In France several towns near Paris in the north were inundated with water. Two lions, two tigers and a jaguar who escaped from their zoo in Germany have been recaptured. People in Luenebach, in the west of the country, were earlier warned by police to stay inside with their windows and doors closed.

It has been quite warm across much of Scandinavia over the last couple of weeks, especially across the southern region (3^rd). Oslo, Norway, for instance, had a +5.9 C departure from the normal over this two-week stretch. Much of that has come over the last three days in which Oslo reached 31.9C on the 2nd and 32.0C on the 3rd. The warmest Madrid has been so far this year was back on 25 May, in which it reached 28.3C. Oslo, Norway, has seen six days equal to greater 28.3C so far this year.

CANADA

The windstorm ripping through Edmonton on Monday forced an evacuation, affected transit, downed trees and caused power issues. A visit to Fort Edmonton Park was cut short for 20 school groups after winds of up to 90 kilometers an hour took down a park fence. In the west end of the city the wind knocked down signs, poles, and pushed trees onto power lines.

21st-23rd

Lightning and persistent dry weather have teamed up to produce dozens of wildfires in Oregon and northwestern Canada (21^st-23^rd). The Graham Fire in central Oregon ignited on the 21st near Culver, Oregon. The blaze has burned about 2,000 acres on private land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Lake Chinook Fire and Rescue. The blaze prompted evacuations and forced Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to invoke the Conflagration Act. The declaration authorizes the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal to mobilize firefighters and equipment to assist local resources battling the fires in the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said.

ASIA

Severe weather, including thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds has affected Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh (12^th). Media are reporting that over the last 2 days as many as 12 people have died in landslides triggered by the heavy rain. Meanwhile across the border in Myanmar, local media have reported heavy rain, flooding and landslides in Shan state and Magway and Sagaing regions. Homes and roads have been damaged, and at least 1 person has died with 3 others missing. In Bangladesh heavy rain began falling over the weekend (9th-10th). Cox's Bazar has recorded over 300 mm of rain in 48 hours to 12 June.

Residents of India's capital Delhi are battling high pollution levels and extreme temperatures due to an unusual dust haze covering the city (14^th). People have been complaining about breathing problems, with many saying the city has become unbreathable. The state government has responded by banning all construction and deploying the fire brigade to sprinkle water across the city. People have been advised to stay indoors as much as possible. "In this case, dust has become a carrier of toxic pollutants. Pollution levels are 8-9 times higher than normal. And when we breathe, we are taking in toxic substances, which can have serious health repercussions," Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of the Centre For Science and Environment, told BBC Hindi.

Monsoon rains unleashed widespread flooding in Mumbai and surrounding areas and downpours are forecast to reach New Delhi later this week. Frequent downpours and gusty winds caused travel chaos and have been linked to at least five deaths in the Mumbai area. Rainfall amounts over 330 mmwere reported from Sunday into Monday, with more than 230 mm falling within 24 hours. The downpours and flooding led to widespread travel issues in and around the city, resulting in cancelled or delayed trains, flight disruptions and closed roadways. The heavy rain also triggered a wall collapse in south Mumbai, which damaged or destroyed at least 20 vehicles. As Mumbai endured flooding, residents of New Delhi and the National Capital Region suffered through another day of scorching heat on Monday. Big changes arrived on Tuesday as temperatures only reached 34C in New Delhi during the afternoon hours.

UNITED STATES

Severe thunderstorms moved through northeastern Pennsylvania late Wednesday evening (13^th) and caused significant damage to buildings and vehicles in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The storms were associated with a vigorous system that caused a plethora of damaging wind and hail reports across parts of New York and northern Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Building collapses, flipped cars and blown-off roofs from buildings were reported. Six injuries in total have been reported. At least three injuries were occurred after a car flipped over in the parking lot of a Panera Bread restaurant in Wilkes-Barre.

A flood emergency was issued for parts of the US mid-west. Severe thunderstorms deluged Michigan's Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin, and northern Minnesota (17^th). The national weather service reported that 100-170 mm of rain fell in Houghton county, Michigan, and floods devastated homes and businesses in the area and caused giant sinkholes to open up.

Days of extreme rainfall have pounded southeastern Texas this week, resulting in the worst flooding to hit Houston and surrounding areas since Hurricane Harvey. Sunday (17^th) was the second-wettest June day on record for the city after receiving 1.26 inches of rain, nearly five times the amount that fell throughout all of June so far. The storms led to severe flooding, resulting in several water rescues across the region.

Dozens of water rescues took place across the Pittsburgh area on Wednesday (20^th) after devastating storms blasted the area. Up to 100 mm of rain fell in south Pittsburgh. More than 60 water rescues were reported in Allegheny County alone. Water rushed across roadways and flooded parking lots, submerging cars. Severe thunderstorms rumbled across the central United States on Tuesday, bringing destructive hail, tornadoes and flooding rain. One of the strongest storms of the day spawned a corkscrew-shaped tornado near Keenesburg, Colorado, located northeast of Denver. The twister was on the ground for nearly 20 minutes with no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

MEXICO

The third named storm of the season in the Pacific, Carlotta, tracked along the south-west coast of Mexico on Sunday and Monday (18^th). Coastal areas from Tecpan de Galeana to Lazaro Cardenas were affected by torrential rain and tropical storm-force winds. Nearly 250 mm of rain fell in places, which led to flash flooding and mudslides.

MEDITERANIAN

All roads around Mandra in northwest Athens and the old national highway reopened to traffic on Wednesday following a shutdown due to torrential rain and flooding on Tuesday (26^th). The old national road of Athens-Corinth and a section of the Athens-Thebes roads at Nea Peramos were shut down, as were the central Mandra streets and an exit to Attiki Odos. The fire brigade dealt with 15 cases of people trapped in homes or cars in Mandra and Nea Peramos, and 49 homes were pumped of water. A tracked vehicle and a dinghy had been on standby since yesterday aslos. Long-suffering Mandra went through severe storm damage in November 2017, when twenty-four people lost their lives during heavy rain followed by mudflows that also destroyed a lot of properties.