GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
MAY 2020
MIDDLE
EAST
Intense rains accompanied by powerful winds and sandstorms wreaked havoc in
Qatar over the past few days (1st). On 1 May, severe storms destroyed
a field hospital at the Umm Salal area, north of Doha. It was constructed just
two weeks ago, specifically for accommodating patients with coronavirus. A video
posted by Arab News showed violent winds ripping through the establishment. The
aftermath was captured in another video, showing the hospital shredded in
crumbles, with a few people captured running away from the area. In a separate
incident, two expansion tents at Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital collapsed after
winds of 45 mph hit the area, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
AUSTRAILIA
A cold
front originating from Antarctica is sweeping across Australia, with states in
the southeast set to see their coldest start to May (1st). The wintry
conditions came after the country recorded its fifth warmest April on record,
according to the BOM's monthly review. New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, ACT,
South Australia, and Queensland already experienced cool temperatures on Friday
morning. In Victoria, residents woke up to the coldest start to May ever
recorded, with -4C in some areas. Mount Hotham experienced blizzards amid the
coldest temperature at -4C.
Australia's western coast is being battered by a huge storm, with strong winds
buffeting the main city of Perth (24th). Torrential rains and waves
of up to eight meters are forecast in some areas. The severe weather is the
result of the remnants of tropical cyclone Mangga interacting with a cold front,
according to the Bureau of Meteorology. A senior official in the Department of
Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said it would be a "once-in-a-decade" storm.
"Normally our storms come from the south-west and this will come from the
north-west," DFES acting assistant commissioner Jon Broomhall told journalists.
A severe weather warning is in place for much of Western Australia. More than
60,000 homes and businesses are without power across the state, ABC News
reports. Wind gusts of 117 km/h have been recorded in Perth, the Bureau of
Meteorology said. Some areas could see up to 100 mm of rain.
FRANCE
Dangerous thunderstorms developed across portions of western France and northern
Spain on Monday afternoon into Monday night (4th). Thunderstorms
first developed on Monday afternoon across northern Spain. As storms
strengthened and tracked to the northeast, they raced across western France
Monday evening and Monday night. The strongest storms brought frequent lightning
strikes and strong wind gusts to the region. The strongest wind gusts led to
damage in parts of northwestern Spain. A wind gust of 130 km/h was reported as
the Port Estaca de Bares along the northern coast of Spain.
AFRCIA
Heavy
rains battering much of Rwanda since 1 May triggered severe flooding and
landslides, resulting in eight fatalities and hundreds of damaged homes and
roads, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported on May 4. The affected
areas are mostly the mountainous and hilly areas in the country's northern and
western, particularly the low-lying and plain areas in those regions. As of
today there eight fatalities from floods and landslides, five others injured,
more than 100 damaged houses and several roads closed across the country. In the
Rutsiro District in the Western Province, the Mushubati weather station recorded
81 mm of rain on 2 May.
Flooding as a result of recent heavy rains has killed more than 260 people
across East Africa (9th). Kenya has been the hardest hit with the
government recording 194 deaths. In Rwanda, 55 people have died and floods have
killed 16 in Somalia. In Uganda high water levels have trapped an estimated 200
patients inside a hospital. East African countries have also been hit by a
locust invasion and Covid-19. The water has also washed away 8,000 acres of
crops and some vital infrastructure, the government has said.
UNITED
STATES
Mother's Day weekend got off to an unseasonably snowy start in the Northeast
thanks to the polar vortex (9th). Some higher elevation areas in
northern New York and New England reported snowfall accumulations of up to 9
inches, while areas as far south as New York City reported a dusting. The spring
snow and accompanying low temperatures came courtesy of the polar vortex, a
batch of cold air being pulled down from the north. Massachusetts hadn't seen
measurable snow in May since 2002, while in Manhattan's Central Park, the flakes
tied a record set in 1977 for latest snow. Nine inches of snow were reported
near Maine's Sugarloaf Mountain, while rural regions near the New York-Vermont
border reported similar accumulations. Weather service observers reported 8
inches in northern New York's Washington County and 9 inches in Shaftsbury,
Vermont.
About
10,000 residents have been evacuated in Michigan after two dams collapsed
following days of heavy rain, officials say (20th). The National
Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for areas near the Tittabawassee
River after the Edenville and Sanford dams burst. Governor Gretchen Whitmer
declared a state of emergency for Midland County in mid-Michigan after the dams
collapsed on Tuesday, and said the city of Midland - of population of more than
40,000 - could see a "historic high water level".
The
eastern Indian city of Kolkata has been devastated by a powerful cyclone which
has killed at least 22 people across India and Bangladesh (20th).
Storm Amphan struck land on Wednesday, lashing coastal areas with ferocious wind
and rain. It is now weakening as it moves north into Bhutan. Thousands of trees
were uprooted in the gales, electricity and telephone lines brought down and
houses flattened. Many of Kolkata's roads are flooded and its 14 million people
without power. The storm is the first super cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal
since 1999. Though its winds had weakened by the time it struck, it was still
classified as a very severe cyclone.
PHILIPPINES
Lockdown restrictions in the Philippines are impeding efforts to help victims of
Typhoon Vongfong, which struck the east of the country on Thursday (14th).
Relief workers are trying to move hundreds of thousands of people into
evacuation centres, but social distancing rules have thrown up complications.
Some 200,000 people need to be rescued from their homes amid fears of flooding
or landslides. Typhoon Vongfong is the first to hit the country this year.
INDIA
The
Indian capital, Delhi, saw temperatures rise to 47.6C today, as most of north
India faced severe heatwave conditions (26th). The heatwave, which
officials say is likely to last until the weekend, comes even as the region
struggles with rising Covid-19 infections and swarms of locusts that are
ravaging crops. Churu in Rajasthan state recorded a temperature of 50C - India's
highest. Officials have warned people to stay indoors as far as possible. The
temperatures are the highest that the country has seen in decades for this time
of the year.
TROPICAL
Tropical Storm Arthur become the first named storm of the 2020 Atlantic
hurricane season on Saturday (16th) evening over the warm waters
offshore of Florida. Tropical Storm Arthur is currently producing sustained
winds of 40 mph. Although the official start of hurricane season is June 1,
there has been a preseason tropical system for most of the last 10 years, so it
is not uncommon to have tropical activity this early. Residents in South Florida
saw impacts from Tropical Storm Arthur before it fully developed. A number of
flash flood warnings were triggered along the southeastern coast of Florida as
heavy downpours and thunderstorms continued on Friday night. Street flooding was
reported across the Miami metro area. Thursday was the second wettest May day on
record for the city of Marathon in the Florida Keys. Heavy rain totaled 5.76
inches, stopping short of the city's rainiest May day record of 6.60 inches set
on the 27th in 1959. Marathon picked up a total of 6.45 inches during 14-15 May,
when the normal precipitation for all of May is 3.35 inches.
Tropical Depression Ambo, also known as Vongfong, gave parts of the northern
Philippines torrential rain and high winds late last week and into the weekend
as it made landfall across several areas in the region (16th). The
risk for flash flooding will continue for some as the storm begins to move away.
Ambo strengthened throughout the week as it tracked over the warm waters of the
Philippine Sea and became the first-named tropical system in the Northern
Pacific Ocean of 2020. On Thursday afternoon, the former typhoon had wind speeds
around 155 km/h. As of Friday afternoon, 13,000 have been forced to leave their
homes, according to the Philippine News Agency. A total of 48 towns also
suffered power cuts across Samar and Biliran. The PAGASA issued heavy rainfall
warnings and flooding advisories issued across regions of Luzon, including a red
warning in Metro Manila on Friday evening. A total of 93 mm of rain fell in
parts of the city on Friday.
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