Preliminary analysis by NIWA scientists has shown that the severe weather event in Canterbury, New Zealand, from May 29 to 31, 2021 was so extreme in some inland areas that it could be considered a "one-in-200-year" event. On May 29, extremely heavy…
Forecast models suggest the first significant heat wave of the season is developing over Europe after an unusually cold spring affecting much of the continent. The heat is forecast to persist through the end of June, reaching 35 °C (95 °F) and more in some…
Several tributaries of the Amazon River in Brazil are registering the biggest floods ever recorded as heavy rains continued lashing parts of the country. On June 5, 2021, the Negro River in Manaus reached 30 m (98 feet), becoming the city's largest flood since…
Severe drought has caused California's reservoirs to run low, with Lake Oroville expected to reach a record low later this summer. Nearly three-quarters of the state is suffering from the extreme dry spell, with other areas facing a dire water supply situation…
A snowstorm has been pummeling Ushuaia City in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, since May 24, 2021. According to the Civil Defense, the storm dumped more than 0.5 m (1.6 feet) of snow over the weekend alone, an amount not seen for more than two decades. "For more…
Numerous cold temperature records have been broken in parts of the eastern U.S. over the Memorial Day weekend while a heat wave is forecast to reach dangerous levels for some locations in the west, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). In addition to the…
Hundreds of residents in north Canterbury in New Zealand have been evacuated amid severe flooding fuelled by a one-in-100-year heavy rain over the weekend. According to NIWA, the rainfall was 200 to 400 percent of normal for the month of May, causing rivers to rise…
Weeks of severe flooding have affected more than 450 000 people across 52 municipalities in northern Brazil, the Civil Defense reported on Tuesday, May 25, 2021. More than 7 700 people have been displaced as rivers continue to rise. Heavy rain has been affecting…
More scary details are coming to light two days after the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday, May 22, 2021. While the main lava flow appears to have stopped in the district of Buhene, it affected 17 villages, destroyed…
A new flank eruption started at Nyiragongo volcano around 17:15 UTC on Saturday, May 22, 2021, producing fast-flowing lava flows that reached inhabited areas. Hundreds of homes and other structures were destroyed. According to the Toulouse VAAC, volcanic ash cloud…
