Updated on Jan 10
Devastating Floods and Landslides
(Jan 10) A landslide triggered by torrential rains killed at least eight people in Rio de Janeiro state Monday and 14 others may still be buried in the rubble, local officials told Globo television. (Source)
(Jan 5) Floods and landslides in Southeastern Brazil caused 23 fatalities, including 15 in state of Minas Gerais. Only a year ago, floods and landslides left more than 1,300 people dead or unaccounted for in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state. (Source)
(Jan 5) A landslide buried dozens of people Thursday at a small-scale gold mining site in the southern Philippines, leaving at least 25 dead months and more than 100 people are believed to be buried in the rubble. Compostela Valley province is on the main southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where flash floods triggered by a tropical storm killed more than 1,250 people in December. Miners and their families had been warned that the heavy rains made the small tunnels that honeycomb the hills and mountains more dangerous. (Source)
(Jan 5) Dutch villagers have been asked to leave their homes and farms because strong winds and heavy rain have led to fears of coastal flooding. More than half the population in the Netherlands lives in areas below sea level where two-thirds of the country’s GDP is generated. (Source)
(Jan 4) Heavy rains in Brazil’s southeastern state of Minas Gerais have caused severe flooding and left at least seven dead, three missing and some 10,000 homeless. A total of 66 towns cities in Minas Gerais state have declared a state of emergency. (Source)
(Jan 2) Some 40,000 people living in around 11,000 homes have been affected by floods in Central Java following the collapse of three river levees after months of heavy rains. Indonesia is prone to heavy downpours and floods from November to April.(Source)
(Jan 1) Floods hit at least 10 different areas across the archipelago on the first day of 2012. (Source) The government predicted that in the next few months 11 provinces might be hit by huge floods, plus another 16 provinces that might be subjects to landslides. Currently, 5 regencies in Central Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Central Java, and East Java have already been hit by floods. (Source)
(Jan 2) More than 50 persons were evacuated from their homes on Sunday when a large landslide ripped through the rural area outside Trondheim in Norway. (Source)
(Jan 1) High waves hit many seaside southern provinces in Thailand, spreading panic among locals who were reminded of the 2004 deadly tsunami. All 11 of the districts in a southern province have been declared disaster zones as heavy downpours continue to trigger flash floods while the floods subsided in several provinces. (Source)
Flash Floods
(Jan 9) Roads in Houston, Texas were flooded and thousands of residents lost power on Monday after powerful thunderstorms plowed through the area, with a possible tornado damaging. (Source)
(Jan 9) A combination of continuous rain and high tide are causing flash floods in the coastal areas of South East Asian countries. Many settlements have remained submerged for months.
Severe Storms
(Jan 6)
In Belgium, winds reached 122 kilometers per hour during a storm earlier on Thursday. Trees were uprooted and damaged throughout the country.
In the Netherlands, fierce winds and heavy rains disrupted operations at Rotterdam, Europe’s biggest port and held up flights from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. Farmers were even told to evacuate a village. Northern provinces have had a month’s average rainfall in recent days and the strong winds have hampered attempts to drain areas of reclaimed land.
In northern France, high winds were also recorded, bringing down power lines and leaving thousands of people without electricity. French forecasters warned of a violent winter storm as far south as Corsica, in the Mediterranean.
In Germany, the second winter storm of 2012 called “Andrea” arrived in the early hours of Thursday. Winds of 133kmh were recorded as high water levels on the River Rhine raised concern in Cologne and weather forecasters warned of heavy snow over higher ground.
In the Scandinavia, the Oeresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark was closed for part of Thursday morning.
In the United Kingdom, winds of up to 178kmh (111mph) were recorded in northern England. The QEII bridge linking Essex and Kent had to be closed and dozens of trees blocked roads in Suffolk. Three turbines have been wrecked in the latest bout of rough weather – sweeping away any remaining illusions that strong winds simply mean more electricity being generated. (Source)
(Jan 3) Another round of unsettled weather will add more misery to the January blues as millions of Britons returning from the Christmas holidays. Worst hit was Scotland’s central belt, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, where winds of up to 102mph forced the closure of main road and rail bridges and the cancellation of flights and train services. A Met Office spokesman said: ‘An intense Atlantic storm passed over the UK bringing some very strong winds with it. We do expect stormy conditions at this time of year, but the strength of this one was unusual.’
Shown above a passenger jet gets blown off course while attempting to land in gale force winds at England’s highest airport, Leeds Bradford International. Waves hit massive heights around the coast and Portland Coastguard in Dorset, where 45ft breakers rolled in.(Source)
(Jan 2) Up to 200,000 thousand people in Finland are suffering from power cuts, as winds from powerful storms caused more damage. (Source)
(Jan 1) Tropical Cyclone Thane brought lashing rains and gale force winds, which left 46 people dead in southern India. Most people said the wind intensity was so terrifying that nobody was able to step out. (Source)
(Dec 29) A jet stream brought winds estimated up to 102 mph to overturn three empty at the Wyoming border and in Colorado. (Source) High winds gusted to 80-plus mph pounded western Nebraska (Source)
Extreme Cold / Heavy Snow / Snow Drought
(Jan 10) The small Alaska fishing town of Cordova is used to dealing with excessive snow – but not like this. Residents have turned to the state to help them dig out of massive snow levels that have collapsed roofs, triggered avalanches and even covered doors, trapping some people in their homes. (Source)
(Jan 9) Up to 60cm (23in) snow had fallen overnight, blocking roads and rail services to Austria’s western province of Vorarlberg for hours. The risk of avalanches was high, assessed at four on a scale of five. (Source)
(Jan 4) The snow drought across the U.S. so far this winter has raised questions about impacts on water supply, ski resorts and agriculture. Only 22 percent of the nation was covered by snow on Jan. 4, 2012. (Source)
Extreme Heat / Drought / Wildfires
(Jan 9) A bushfire that has burned 1600 hectares of an island off Brisbane has been escalated by strong winds and high temperatures and is threatening several campsites. (Source) (Jan 3) Extreme heat across South Australia caused electricity to be cut to parts of the state to limit the risk of bushfires being sparked by above-ground powerlines, as as temperatures surge as high as 43 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). (Source)
(Jan 5) Shifting winds caused flames to sweep over a group of firefighters battling wildfires in Chile on Thursday, killing six of them, badly burning two and leaving another missing. (Jan 2) Firefighters in Chile are tackling dozens of forest fires which have killed one person and destroyed 230 sq km (57,000 acres) of land in the southern and central regions. The fires have destroyed more than 100 homes and have driven away thousands of tourists while causing millions of dollars in losses. (Source)
(Jan 5) There were three large grass fires fed by winds as strong as 117 kilometres an hour in Alberta, Canada. (Source)
