WORLD WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
NOVEMBER 2021
RUSSIA
Thick
fog blanketed Moscow from late Monday into Wednesday morning, causing hundreds
of flights to be canceled in one of the biggest travel disruptions to impact the
Russian capital in a decade (1st-3rd0. More than 200
flights were cancelled or delayed at Moscow's major airports on Tuesday. The
delays appeared to be the most since an ice storm blanketed the city in December
2010. On Wednesday, the return of fog led to another 60 flight cancellations or
delays. Visibility was quickly reduced on Monday evening when the fog first
settled across the city. Observations from across the city showed that the
visibility fell to near zero for as much as 14 consecutive hours. At several
locations, temperatures fell below freezing overnight, which may have also led
to ice forming on some surfaces.
ASIA
A
severe dust storm that started in southern Kazakhstan hit parts of Uzbekistan in
the evening, growing under favorable weather conditions into the worst since the
country started keeping meteorological records in 1871 (4th). The
worst affected were Tashkent and the southern Syrdarya Region, and Kazakhstan's
Turkestan Region. According to the country's meteorological service -
Uzhydromet, under the influence of gusts of wind, the parched upper layer of
soil rose up, creating the effect of a dust and sand haze, with visibility just
100-200 m in a number of districts in the country.
Heavy
blizzards in some parts of north-eastern China have brought record snowfall,
raising concerns about keeping homes warm in an area hit by power outages
earlier this year (7th-11th). In the capital city of
Shenyang, in Liaoning province, average snowfall reached 50 cm. This is the
highest recorded snowfall since 1905, said state outlet Xinhua. In neighboring
inner Mongolia, one person died and more than 5,600 were affected after a heavy
snowstorm.
Heavy
showers and thunderstorms have caused severe flooding in the southern Indian
city of Chennai (8th). No deaths have been reported, but officials in
the state of Tamil Nadu, of which Chennai is the capital, have issued warnings
to evacuate people from low-lying areas. Local media footage showed uprooted
trees and cars submerged as water quickly rose to block roads. This is the
heaviest rainfall in the city since 2015.
Authorities in the Indian capital, Delhi, have shut all schools and colleges
indefinitely amid the worsening levels of air pollution (17th).
Construction work has also been banned until 21 November but an exception has
been made for transport and defence-related projects. Only five of the 11
coal-based power plants in the city have been allowed to operate. A toxic haze
has smothered Delhi since the festival of Diwali.
At
least 26 people have been killed and more than 100 remain missing after heavy
rains caused massive floods in parts of Andra Pradesh, southern India over the
past couple of days. Many homes, roads, and bridges have been damaged or
destroyed and livestock swept away (18-20th).
A
potent storm system moving over the Sea of Japan brought heavy sea-effect snow
to parts of Japan, in some areas breaking all-time 24-hour snowfall records (23rd-24th).
Shumarinai recorded 77 cm of snow over 24 hours, setting its new all-time
24-hour snowfall record. Meanwhile, Nayoro registered 60 cm, setting its new
24-hour snowfall record for the month of November.
INDONESIA
Severe
flash floods hit the Indonesian island of Java, claiming the lives of at least 8
people and leaving three others missing (4th). The worst affected
were Malang and the city of Batu where floods and mudslides inundated homes and
destroyed bridges. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that rivers on
the slopes of Mount Arjuno overflowed their banks and their muddy waters
inundated five hamlets in Kota Batu, a city in East Java province.
MEDITERRAINIAN
Heavy
rains affecting Bosnia and Herzegovina caused severe flash flooding in parts of
the country, causing power outages and forcing evacuations (4th-5th).
Hundreds of homes in the Sarajevo suburbs, along the rivers Bosnia, Tilava, and
Zeljeznica, and in the southwest part of the country, around the town of Konjic,
had to be evacuated on Friday under unrelenting heavy downpours that started
falling on Thursday. Most parts of Sarajevo were left for hours without electric
power on Friday morning due to the flooding of one of the main substations on
the outskirts of the city.
One
person was killed and two others injured after a tornado hit the Italian island
of Sicily (17th). The twister affected Trebalate, Serrameta, Sant'
Elena, and Bosco in the southeast of the island, downing trees, collapsing
walls, and causing a great deal of damage to businesses, farms, and
infrastructure.
A
severe thunderstorm struck Malta in the morning, sweeping away cars in many
parts of the country and blocking roads (25th). The worst affected
were Msida, Gzira, Mosta, and Naxxar. Teams from Malta's civil protection,
police, and military rescued several people trapped in floodwaters. Two civil
protection officers got into difficulty while rescuing a man trapped in his car
in Burmarrad and had to be airlifted to safety. According to data provided by
the country's meteorological service, an average of 74.6 mm of rain was
registered today, with Selmun registering a total of 107.6 mm in 24 hours.
November is usually Malta's wettest month, with an average of 108.6 mm falling
over the country.
CANADA
An
extremely rare November tornado hit the city of Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada at 1710 PDT (0110 GMT, 7 November) (6th). The event started as
a waterspout over the Strait of Georgia which then came ashore and caused minor
damage at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and immediate vicinity. The
tornado was rated as EF-0 with wind speed between 90 and 110 km/h. It caused
broken trees/tree limbs, scattered tree debris, uprooted trees, downed power
lines, and caused damage to vehicles due to falling tree branches. The last time
a tornado hit Vancouver was on 25 July 1976. The last time a tornado hit the
Vancouver area was on 10 March 1991. All past tornadoes in the area occurred
from March to July, according to the Northern Tornadoes Project.
A
powerful storm rapidly intensified over British Columbia, Canada, bringing heavy
rain, powerful wind gusts, and heavy snow to mountain passes (9th).
This is the third potent low to hit the region in less than three weeks. This is
the third system in less than three weeks that has reached 'weather bomb'
criteria, which is a system whose pressure drops at least 24 hPa in 24 hours.
Another round of heavy rain caused by an atmospheric river caused major flooding
and landslides in southern British Columbia, Canada, and parts of Washington and
Oregon in the United States (14-16th). Some parts of the region
received nearly 250 mm of rain. At least 106000 customers lost power in British
Columbia and another 140000 in neighboring Washington state, U.S. The worst
affected was British Columbia where rivers overflowed, and authorities were
forced to close roads and bridges. As many as 100 vehicles were trapped between
two landslides on Highway 7, a scenic route running east of Vancouver. The
entire area was then evacuated before rescue operations halted Monday night. Two
motorways connecting the West Coast city were closed after being damaged by
severe flooding on Tuesday. A woman was killed in a highway landslide, and
rescuers say at least two other people are missing.
AUSTRAILIA
Exceptional rainfall totals have been recorded in Queensland and Northern
Territory, Australia overnight 9thand 10th, as a potent storm moved over the
region. Residents are being urged to prepare for potential flooding across parts
of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria as Bureau of Meteorology experts
forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms for the rest of this week. Overnight
9th/10th phenomenal rainfall totals fell in parts of Queensland and Northern
Territory, Australia, with the area north of Rockhampton in Queensland receiving
more than 300 mm and Alice Springs in Northern Territory recording 100 mm. The
24-hour rainfall total registered in Alice Springs has not been this high since
30 January 2001.
MIDDLE
EAST
Scorpions in Egypt have stung three people to death in the southern city of
Aswan after heavy storms brought them into the streets and homes (12th-13th).
Some 450 more people were injured by scorpion stings, a health ministry official
said. The hail and thunderstorm in the area near the River Nile on Friday was
particularly violent. Scorpions are regularly washed into the streets by heavy
rain, while snakes have also been disturbed. People have been urged to stay at
home and avoid places with many trees. Egypt is home to fat-tailed scorpions
that are among the most deadly in the world. Venom from a black fat-tail can
kill humans in under an hour.
A
severe windstorm hit Turkey's city of Istanbul, leaving at least 4 people dead
and 38 others injured (29th). Turkey's weather agency issued an
orange-level storm warning (3 of 4) for 17 provinces, and a yellow alert (2 of
4) for 35 provinces ahead of the storm. The storm brought powerful winds,
blowing away at least 33 roofs, knocked down 52 traffic signs, uprooted 192
trees, and damaged 12 cars, the Istanbul municipality officials said. A clock
tower blew over because of the heavy wind in the Catalca district. Also, two
trucks and one pickup truck overturned in Catalca
AFRICA
A
severe hailstorm classified by the South African Weather Service as a
superstorm, hit the town of Lydenburg in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality,
Mpumalanga highveld during the afternoon hours (14th). Some of the
hailstones were larger than golf and cricket balls. The storm hit Lydenburg,
including Badfontein Road, Dullstroom Road (R36), and the Burgersfort Road
(R37), resulting in severe property and vehicle damage. The Kannabas and
Kiepersol Housing Units for the elderly were left in a particularly bad state
with severe roof damage.
A
severe hailstorm hit the city of Klerksdorp, in South Africa's North West
Province, causing widespread damage (25th). The storm flooded roads
and damaged the roofs of many homes and businesses. This is the third
destructive hailstorm to hit South Africa over the past 3 weeks.
EUROPE
A
massive hailstorm hit the Spanish city of Alicante, Valencia in the morning. The
hailstorm was preceded by large amounts of rain in a very short period (23rd).
According to AEMET, a weather station in Alicante registered 46 mm of rain in
just 25 minutes. The Alicante-Elx airport registered 58 mm of rain in less than
an hour, including 39.6 mm in 20 minutes. Photographs show the hail lying 15 cm
deep in places.
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