Weather tracker: Snowfall cuts power in Poland and flooding devastates Sri Lanka

"Temperatures plummeted this week across the eastern half of Europe, with the Alps dipping as low as -20C and to -8.5C in the Polish town of Zakopane in the Tatras Mountains. Heavy snow also affected other parts of Poland with 15-20cm of snow falling in much of the central swathe of the country and more than 40cm in the south towards the mountains. This occurred as an area of low pressure moved up from the Balkans and collided with cold Arctic air over Poland."

"Due to the sheer amount of snowfall, 2,900 firefighter callouts were made and 75,000 homes in Rzeszow were left without power. To add to the chaos, an Embraer E170STD aircraft, capable of carrying 80 passengers, veered off the runway on to a grass verge on a flight from Warsaw to Vilnius in Lithuania. Air traffic was delayed for several hours and the return flight did not depart."

"Extreme rainfall hit Sri Lanka this week. Sri Lanka typically receives between 250mm and 300mm of rain in November. In a 24-hour period, more than 250mm fell in many parts of Sri Lanka, which led to widespread flooding and more rain is expected in the coming days. Up to 425 homes have been damaged by mudslides, 1,800 families are being housed in temporary shelters, 40 people are dead and 10 injured."

Temperatures plunged across eastern Europe, with the Alps reaching -20C and Zakopane in Poland hitting -8.5C. Heavy snow blanketed Poland, with 15–20cm in central areas and over 40cm in the south near mountains. An area of low pressure from the Balkans collided with cold Arctic air over Poland, triggering the snowfall. The snow prompted 2,900 firefighter callouts, left 75,000 homes in Rzeszow without power, and caused an Embraer E170STD to veer off a runway, delaying flights. Sri Lanka received extreme rainfall exceeding typical November totals, with over 250mm falling in 24 hours, causing floods, mudslides, 40 deaths, and thousands displaced.

Read at www.theguardian.com