A rare snowfall blanketed several parts of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, causing widespread power outages and prompting local authorities to issue safety guidelines. The last time it snowed in Santiago was in 2020, although much later in the season.
A powerful atmospheric river began affecting Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil on April 29, 2024, resulting in massive flooding across the region. By early May 6, 2024, the storm affected 334 of the state’s 496 cities, including the capital Porto Alegre, claimed at least 75 lives, left over 100 people missing, and impacted more than 1 million residents. This severe weather event is described as the most disastrous in the state since 1941, surpassing previous records in terms of both scope and damage.
A powerful atmospheric river has caused destructive flooding across Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil since Monday, April 29, 2024, leading to the deaths of at least 55 people, with more than 70 others missing. The state governor described the situation as the worst disaster in the state’s history.
The tornado that hit Marietta, Oklahoma at 23:08 CDT on April 27, 2024, was rated EF-4 by the National Weather Service (NWS), making it Oklahoma’s first violent tornado in nearly 8 years. This event resulted in one fatality and extensive structural damage across multiple counties.
Scientists from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the University of Maryland have provided evidence of a significant slowdown in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a key climate regulator. Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, the research utilized over six decades of oceanic data to track the health of this vital oceanic component. This slowdown, observed primarily in the last two decades, could have profound implications on global climate patterns.
Kenya is facing a severe flood crisis with 38 confirmed deaths and more than 40 000 displaced due to continuous heavy rains since mid-March 2024. The floods have particularly devastated Nairobi and surrounding regions, prompting urgent national emergency responses.
Zambia is in the throes of an unprecedented drought, prompted by El Niño, resulting in the driest February recorded since 1981. This natural disaster has compelled the President to declare a state of emergency, with 84 districts suffering and over 1 million ha (2.47 million acres) of crops devastated, causing widespread shortages in essential resources including food and water.
The third large wave of Saharan dust in just two weeks is moving over Europe, significantly increasing PM10 concentrations at ground level for the Iberian Peninsula, and some parts of France and Germany.
A wave of exceptionally hot weather has led to the shattering of thousands of temperature records across Africa. Nations from Cameroon to Mauritius have experienced unprecedented heat, marking historic highs for the month of March.
On Thursday, February 29, 2024, the Smokehouse Creek Fire expanded beyond 404 686 ha (1 million acres) in Texas, marking it as the largest wildfire in the state’s history. The blaze, which also extended into Oklahoma, has claimed the lives of at least two individuals and continues to pose a significant threat to homes, cattle, and livelihoods in the Texas Panhandle.
