Deadly Weather in Your Area?

Extremes of Weather Wreak Havoc Across the Globe

A for Adelaide heat wave (Australia)

Adelaide’s extreme hot weather has officially entered the record books as the city’s first ever heatwave in November.

Adelaide has experienced a week of soaring temperatures in the 35 – 40 degrees Celsius range.

More bushfire and sandstorms? Lots of it!

“You take one look at the satellite images of Australia and wonder when! Because it looks so imminent!” A reader commenting on the future of Australia as a habitable continent.

Australia UV Chart. The chart shows maximum clear sky UV Index at noon. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2009, Bureau of Meteorology

B for Beijing’s November Snow [over-seeding the clouds?]

At least 21 people have perished in heavy snow in China including four children who reportedly died when two school canteens collapsed, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.

“As of 5 p.m. Friday, more than 9,000 buildings collapsed and about 190,400 hectares of crops were affected, causing direct economic losses of around 4.5 billion yuan (about 659 million U.S. dollars), ministry said.”

Nearly 8 million people have been affected by the snow, of whom about 160,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes.

A work shed damaged by heavy snow is seen in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, Nov. 12, 2009. Six people were killed and 34 others got hurt or sick during the recent heavy snowfall in Henan, according to the provincial government. (Xinhua/Zhao Peng). Image may be subject to copyright.

F for flooded mid-Atlantic coastal areas

Nor’easter fed on remnants of Storm Ida battered  mid-Atlantic coast

The governors of Virginia, Delaware and New York called up the National Guard to help with evacuations of hundreds of people using special trucks that operate in high water, the US Defense Department reported.

A coastal storm fed on remnants of Idea developed into a nor’easter with hurricane strength winds battering the mid-Atlantic coast from northeast North Carolina to New Jersey. It felled trees, flooded vast areas and left at least 5 dead with another three people missing.

WTKR reporter Kurt Williams encounters flooding up to his chest in the streets of Norfolk, VA. frame grab from CNN video.

M for the most powerful storm of the year to strike Britain

Britain was struck by “the most powerful storm of the year” yesterday as forecasters predicted fierce winds and flooding in many areas.

“For England it is probably likely to be the strongest winds this year,” British Met Office said. “It is not a surprise to see it. It is certainly a feature of weather at this time of year but 80 mph [129 km/h] is certainly getting in to the realms of winds where you are likely to see disruption due to structural damage, for instance trees coming down.”

The Met Office issued 85 flood watches, 20 flood warnings including a severe flood warning for Wales and the south of England last night as the weather system battered Britain. Flooded roads brought traffic to a standstill and forced delays and cancellations of ferry and train services.

In Cornwall gale force winds downed trees and some areas were submerged under 2 feet (60 cm) of water.

According to a weather report the storm is caused by a large  low-pressure system in the North Atlantic, extending from Newfoundland to western Europe.

IR image provided by geostationary EUMetSat. Copyright EUMETSAT/Met Office

Related  Links:

• FEWW FORECAST: 2009 Likely Wettest Year on Record
• Snowstorm Destroys Chinese Forests

• Met Office warns of catastrophic global warming in our lifetimes [UK Guardian]