South Africa Facing its Hottest Year Ever

Second Heatwave of Year Hits South Africa

The heatwave is forecast to persist until Thursday with maximum temperatures hovering around 40°C in the northeast of the country.

The extreme weather conditions are forecast to persist in South Africa throughout the summer. The country is facing what may be its hottest year ever, said a report, as its largest city Johannesburg [metro pop: 4.5 million] announces water restrictions.

The country has already experienced two seasons of below-normal rainfall. Consequently, farmers are forced to plant only 2.5 million hectares of maize, a 3.8 percent reduction from last year, said a report.

Authorities have declared the provinces of Kwazulu Natal and Free State as disaster areas due to drought.  Two additional areas—Limpopo and Mpumalanga— are also expected to declare agricultural disaster, the report added.

“South Africa’s first maize production forecast estimates the 2015 harvest to be the worst in eight years,” according to a UN report released earlier this year. The farmers stand to lose up to R10 billion this year.

Last year, the drought destroyed about a third of the nation’s maize crop.

 

Smog Plagues N China

China issues yet another smog alert

China’s weather observatory issued a smog alert on Tuesday for the country’s north and northeast, said a report.

“Beijing, Tianjin, parts of the neighboring provinces of Hebei, Henan and Shandong, as well as parts of northeastern Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces will be shrouded in moderate smog from Tuesday to Wednesday, and Liaoning Province will suffer from heavy smog, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast.”