#extreme-weather

#extreme-weather

A polar vortex happens when air in the Arctic is destabilized, often by intruding warming air currents, and moves extreme cold air southward. The type of polar vortex this current system could become is known as a "sudden stratospheric warming" event - if it indeed comes to pass, this would be the earliest instance of it happening during a winter season on record.

Severe rainfall caused destructive flooding in southern Thailand, leaving the tourist city of Hat Yai waist-deep underwater and prompting the government to declare a state of emergency in Songkhla province on Tuesday. Officials said at least 13 people have been killed across four flood-hit provinces. How is Thailand responding to the floods? Also on Tuesday, Thailand prepared to deploy a naval flotilla of 14 boats and the aircraft carrier Chakri Naruebet,

At least two people have been killed and 21 remain unaccounted for following a landslide in Indonesia, according to officials, as rescuers continue to search for the missing. Several days of heavy rainfall in the region led to landslides that hit dozens of houses in three villages in the Cilacap district, Central Java province, on Thursday evening, officials said in a statement released on Friday.

It's been ten years since Laurent Fabius, then the foreign minister of France, gavelled the United Nations 21st conference of the parties on climate change (COP21), bringing the 2015 Paris climate agreement into existence. It is an imperfect pact, not least because the initial commitments it enshrined were woefully inadequate. But it set an important goal: to avert planetary-scale ecological, economic and social disruptions by reining in greenhouse-gas emissions and limiting global warming to 2 °C - and, ideally, 1.5 °C - above preindustrial levels.

Industries and individuals around the world burned record amounts of oil, gas and coal last year, releasing more greenhouse gases than ever before, a group of leading scientists said in a new report, warning that humanity is hurtling toward "climate chaos." The surge in global use of fossil fuels in 2024 contributed to extreme weather and devastating disasters including heat waves, storms, floods and wildfires.

Heavy gusts were expected to continue into the afternoon and rainfall over the next two days was likely to cause river level rises, according to Chris Irvine, an acting assistant director at the state's emergency service. Although the worst winds have now mostly passed, we are still expecting widespread gusts of 100km/h to 110km/h across the state this afternoon before easing below warning thresholds this evening, Irvine said.

Rescuers have guided more than 350 people to safety after they were stranded by blizzard-like conditions on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, Chinese state media reported on Sunday. In total, more than 500 people were caught by surprise when unusually heavy snow and rainfall lashed them on the way in the Tingri region of Tibet, one of the main routes to ascend the world's tallest mountain.

Spain's Aemet weather agency warned of "extraordinary danger" in Tarragona (Catalonia), Castellon, and Valencia for Sunday afternoon and evening, and Monday, a warning echoed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. As forecast, it rained heavily throughout Sunday night in the eastern region, with more than 80 litres per square metre accumulated in several parts of Valencia. In the town of Aldaia, where the ravine has burst its banks, 57 litres per square metre fell in 35 minutes.

In the 1980s, there were 33 weather events that caused at least $1 billion in damages (inflation adjusted) - or 3.3 per year. With each decade passing, the yearly average of such events increases. In the 1990s, there were 5.7 such events per year on average, in the aughts the average was 6.7 per year, in the 2010s it was 13.1, and in the last three years it was 22 billion-dollar events per year, including 28 in 2023 - the most of any year.

Hurricane Erin rapidly strengthened to a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, increasing by 60 mph in just nine hours.

During extreme weather, the challenges faced by teams assisting homeless people in New York City's subway system are heightened, requiring additional oversight and compassion for vulnerable individuals.

More than 21% of all properties downstream are at risk of flooding over the next three decades, which accounts for 18,596 properties in Dayton.

With heat like this, you run out of original things to say and reach for deeply trodden comparisons: it's an oven, it's a furnace, it's a sauna.

The hottest days people endure have dramatically increased in frequency and severity, and periods of intense rain have also ramped up, data from hundreds of weather stations shows.

A significant blaze is ongoing between Paũls and Alfara de Carles, leading to strict precautions in six surrounding villages due to fears of worsening conditions.

Extreme weather can have major implications on the health and development of young children due in part to the instability it can bring.

The deadly Texas floods could signal a new norm in the US, as Donald Trump and his allies dismantle crucial federal agencies that help states prepare for extreme weather.