Africa

WU: Heat Records Falling Around the World in 2018

Written by on July 14, 2018 in Africa, Asia, Rest of Europe, United Kingdom & Ireland with 0 Comments
WU: Heat Records Falling Around the World in 2018

Christopher C. Burt  ·  July 13, 2018, 12:40 PM EDT The first five months of 2018 were the fourth warmest in global records going back to 1880, according to NOAA. Along the way, a number of extreme heat events have occurred already this year. In recent weeks across the Northern Hemisphere, these records have included […]

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WU: Dangerous U.S. Pollution Event From Heat Wave, African Dust, and Fires

Written by on July 5, 2018 in Africa, United States of America with 0 Comments
WU: Dangerous U.S. Pollution Event From Heat Wave, African Dust, and Fires

Dr. Jeff Masters  ·  July 2, 2018, 1:26 PM EDT An unusually concentrated plume of African dust invaded the U.S. over the weekend, bringing dangerously high levels of fine particulate pollution (PM2.5, particles less than 2.5 microns or 0.0001 inch in diameter). The dust from the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) arrived in Texas on Thursday, […]

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Sagar was strongest cyclone to hit Somalia and westernmost in Indian Ocean

Written by on May 28, 2018 in Africa, Tropical with 0 Comments
Sagar was strongest cyclone to hit Somalia and westernmost in Indian Ocean

Recent Severe Cyclone Sagar set a few records last week by becoming the westernmost ever cyclone within the Indian Ocean basin. The cyclone was also the strongest to ever hit Somalia after traversing the entire east-west length of the hot Gulf of Aden. Despite being locked in on three sides by desert, the Gulf of […]

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WU: It’s True: Cape Town’s Water Supply Is Three Months Away from a Shutdown

Written by on February 4, 2018 in Africa, Autumn 2017, Rest of World, Summer 2017, Winter 2017/18 with 0 Comments
WU: It’s True: Cape Town’s Water Supply Is Three Months Away from a Shutdown

ARTICLE FROM WUNDERGROUND.COM Bob Henson · January 19, 2018, 2:32 PM EST Three years of unforgiving drought in Cape Town, South Africa, have led to the once-unthinkable: A great world city is about to turn off the tap to its municipal water supply. The long-feared “Day Zero”—the point when the reservoirs serving Cape Town drop […]

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Zagora, (southern) Morocco sees first snow in 50 years!

Written by on February 1, 2018 in Africa, Autumn 2017, Rest of World, Summer 2017, Winter 2017/18 with 0 Comments
Zagora, (southern) Morocco sees first snow in 50 years!

Snow in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains is common during winter and in the nearby upland areas it happens every few years but not further south on the edge of the Sahara. Zagora witnessed it’s first snow since 1968. Cold air associated with a large and deep cut off low over SW Europe extending into NW Africa […]

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SNOW blankets the Algerian Sahara for 2nd year in a row

Written by on January 12, 2018 in Africa, Autumn 2017, Rest of World, Summer 2017, Winter 2017/18 with 0 Comments
SNOW blankets the Algerian Sahara for 2nd year in a row

On the very same day (Sunday 8 January) as Sydney, Australia endured it’s 2nd hottest day on record, upwards of 16 inches of snow fell in the Algerian desert town of Ain Sefra. Unusually cold air dove unusually far south into Africa which helped deliver the rare snowstorm. Just enough snow fell in the #Algeria-n […]

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Sierra Leone falls victim to highly active West African storm pattern but why?

Written by on August 19, 2017 in Africa, Rest of World, Summer 2017 with 0 Comments
Sierra Leone falls victim to highly active West African storm pattern but why?

We often overlook the effects of African easterly waves on African nations and only focus on them particularly once out over the open Atlantic. What are African easterly waves and the easterly jet they ride along? Commencing their journey over the Ethiopian Highlands, tropical waves are ‘waves of energy within the atmosphere where there’s enhanced […]

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Drought ends as worst storm in 30 years slams Cape Town, South Africa

Written by on June 13, 2017 in Africa, Rest of World, Summer 2017 with 0 Comments
Drought ends as worst storm in 30 years slams Cape Town, South Africa

Rain was welcome but not the storm which killed 9 people and destroyed hundreds of shacks. While it’s winter in the southern hemisphere, South Africa and particularly the Cape can expect storm systems but the one which struck mid last week was exceptional. Said to be the worst in 30 years with 2 inches of rain […]

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UK gets first rain in 3 weeks, most in 6 weeks while Libya hits 47C, Greece 40C, snow in Russia

Written by on May 15, 2017 in Africa, Rest of Europe, Rest of World, Spring 2017 with 0 Comments
UK gets first rain in 3 weeks, most in 6 weeks while Libya hits 47C, Greece 40C, snow in Russia

Firstly, this was the scene here in central Scotland back on Thursday of last week… The end of a lengthy dry spell in which high pressure dominated. Then the rains arrived and we had a very soggy Saturday over much of the UK… First rains in 3 weeks for some and most in 6 weeks! While the atmospheric tap turned back […]

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It’s A Draw! 4 New National Records Set In 2017 So Far

Written by on April 6, 2017 in Africa, Rest of World, Spring 2017 with 0 Comments
It’s A Draw! 4 New National Records Set In 2017 So Far

While it was a warm end to March for much of Europe, it was a downright hot end to March over the southwest edge of the African Sahel. Ghana has become the latest nation to claim a new national record. Since January 1, it’s a two way draw in new national record highs and lows.  

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