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Global Warming

France Experiences Hottest Year on Record

France this year experienced the hottest year since records began, the country’s national weather service said Wednesday, as global warming stokes temperatures globally.

A cascade of extreme weather exacerbated by climate change devastated communities across the globe this year, including sweltering heat and drought across Europe that wilted crops, drove forest fires and saw major rivers shrink to a trickle.

France saw temperatures surge repeatedly in successive heatwaves from May and into October, accompanied by extreme events like wildfires in areas like north-western Brittany, and damaging marine heat waves in the Mediterranean.

It estimated the average temperature for the year as a whole would be between 14.2 degrees Celsius and 14.6C degrees depending on December temperatures. That is a significant increase from the previous record of 14.07C seen in 2020, and the highest since records began in 1990.

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Wildfires

Wildfires – Europe

Over 20 wildfires raged across Portugal and several burned in western Spain yesterday, menacing villages and disrupting tourists’ holidays amid a heatwave that meteorologists expect to push temperatures into the high 40s Celsius.

In Spain’s western region of Extremadura bordering Portugal firefighters evacuated a few hundred villagers overnight as a precaution and continued to battle a blaze that on Tuesday swept into Salamanca province in the region of Castile and Leon.

In France too, about 800 firefighters, supported by six water-bomber aircraft, were battling two wildfires in the southwest, which have already prompted the evacuation of thousands of campers. About 2 700 hectares were burned.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are currently no tropical storms.

Newsbytes:

France – Heavy downpours caused flash flooding Tuesday afternoon in the French capital city of Paris, closing metro stations and bringing commuters and tourists to a standstill.

New Zealand – A state of emergency has been declared in Nelson as residents have been told to evacuate their homes immediately after the Maitai River breached its banks. Some 223 homes in Nelson have already been evacuated.

England – Thunderstorms and flash floods have struck parts of southern England, causing flash flooding in large areas of central London. Intense downpours began in London and swept the South East on Wednesday. High Beech, in Essex, saw the highest rainfall with 64mm falling in a 24-hour period, while Frittenden in Kent had 46mm of rain falling in one hour.

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Wildfires

Wildfires – France

Wildfires raged in southwestern France on Tuesday, destroying sixteen houses, burning 6,000 hectares and forcing the evacuation of almost 10,000 people in an area already hit last month by huge blazes. Another fire is in the Maine et Loire department in western France, where 650 hectares have been scorched and 500 are threatened, according to local authorities.

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Wildfires

Wildfires – France

Several hundred hectares of land have been destroyed over the weekend in Brittany, Dordogne and Isère by wildfires, leading to hundreds of people being evacuated.

The blazes are now said to be under control but the dry weather means that there is a possibility of resurgences. Several departments, such as the Dordogne, remain on alert for a high risk of forest fires.

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Wildfires

Wildfires – California, USA

A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park has exploded in size into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2000 homes and businesses.

The Oak Fire started on Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday morning had rapidly grown to 26.5 square kilometres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for more than 6000 people living in the sparsely populated, rural area. By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures, damaged five others and was threatening 2000 more structures, Cal Fire said.

Wildfires – France

Firefighters in southwestern France battled on Saturday to contain massive wildfires that have spread to an area twice the size of Paris as blazes across the continent continued to rage. In the country’s wine region of Bordeaux, more than 50,000 acres of land have been destroyed. It added that 36,750 people had been evacuated from the region, although 12,000 had since been allowed to return.

Wildfires – Greece

Fierce wildfires are sweeping through the north, south and east of Greece on Sunday, as a scorching heatwave boils the country. Hundreds of residents and tourists have been evacuated from the east Aegean island of Lesbos after forest fires, which broke out yesterday, destroyed homes and threatened villages. Greece is currently in the grips of a heat wave with temperatures of 42°C expected in some regions. The extreme weather is forecast to last 10 days, raising fears of other fires.

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Wildfires

Wildfires – Europe

Thousands of firefighters are continuing to battle wildfires in Portugal, Spain and France, as a heatwave shows no sign of easing.

In northern Portugal, a pilot died when his waterbombing plane crashed in the Foz Coa area, near the Spanish border. The Portuguese authorities say at least 238 people have died from the heat over the past week.

Fires are ravaging areas of France’s south-western Gironde region, where over 12,000 people have now been evacuated with more than 10 000 hectares burned.

Wildfires – Canada

The British Columbia Fire Service reported at 4:02 p.m. Saturday that the fire activity on the Nohomin Creek Fire northwest of Lytton, BC has been stable today and no major growth was observed. Fire officials said Friday that at least six homes have been destroyed, and that number could rise with about 1 500 hectares burned.

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Wildfires

Wildfires – Europe, Morocco

Thousands of people in Portugal, Spain, France and Morocco have been evacuated from their homes as firefighters tackle wildfires caused by this week’s heatwave, which has brought extreme temperatures of more than 45C (113F) to parts of Europe and north Africa.

One person has died and at least 135 people have suffered mainly minor injuries since wildfires began in Portugal last week. About 800 people have been evacuated from their homes. By Thursday, Portugal had registered 28 active fires, with more than 2,000 firefighters on the ground.

Hundreds more people were evacuated from their homes in south-west France as wildfires raged out of control on Friday. Since Tuesday, more than 1,000 firefighters, supported by nine water-bomber aircraft, have been battling two blazes fanned by scorching heat, tinder-box conditions and strong winds. Authorities in the Gironde department, where the fires are still raging, described the situation as “adverse”. One of the two Gironde fires was around the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, where 4,200 hectares have been burned, roads have been closed, and almost 1,000 residents have been evacuated. The other blaze, that has already burnt 3,100 hectares, was along the Atlantic Coast close to the “Dune du Pilat” – the tallest sand dune in Europe – in the Arcachon Bay area.

Temperature records have been equalled or broken across many parts of Spain, with the mercury hitting 44.1C in the north-western city of Ourense for the first time on Thursday. Temperatures in parts of Extremadura, where firefighters are battling a wildfire that has consumed more than 4,000 hectares of land, reached 45C on Thursday.

Moroccan firefighters, soldiers, police officers and civil defence workers have been battling at least four fires that are ripping through forests in the north of the country. At least 1,000 hectares of forest have been burned since Wednesday night in Larache and Ouezzane, according to initial reports. The country, which is struggling under intense droughts, has in recent days been hit by soaring temperatures approaching 45C.

Italy and Croatia have also reported forest fires this week, and eight people had to jump into the sea at Bibione on the Adriatic coast to escape the fire and smoke.

Strong winds have greatly increased the risk of wildfires in five regions in Greece, civil protection officials have warned. Central Greece, Attica and Crete are among the areas most at risk and the fire brigade said they had counted 51 forest fires in the past 24 hours.

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Wildfires

Wildfires – France

About 600 firefighters, supported by six water-bomber aircraft, were on Wednesday battling to bring under control two wildfires in southwestern France, which have already burnt more than 1,700 hectares and prompted the evacuation of thousands of tourists.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Storm Alex is located about 100 mi…165 km nnw of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds…65 mph…100 km/h. Present movement…ene or 65 degrees at 28 mph…44 km/h.

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Newsbytes:

France – Fierce thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail caused havoc across France from 03 June 2022. One person died in flood waters in Rouen. 65 departments across the country were affected by the severe weather. More than 3,500 interventions were carried out by firefighters. Damage to power infrastructure left thousands of homes without electricity. Across the country 15 people were injured, 2 of them seriously. For the first time in over 20 years, Météo-France issued orange level alerts for 65 departments in the country.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 06p (Tiffany), located approximately 294 nm east-southeast of Darwin, Australia, is tracking westward at 14 knots.

Tropical cyclone 05p (Cody), located approximately 402 nm southwest of Suva, Fiji, is tracking southward at 06 knots.

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NewsBytes:

France – Flooding in southwestern France has closed roads and interrupted rail services. Hundreds of homes have experienced power outages. Several people were evacuated in areas of Toulouse, Haute-Garonne Department, where one fatality was reported. The Salat River in Saint Girons, Ariège jumped to levels not seen for 30 years, peaking at 3.13 metres on 10 January, the highest since October 1992 (3.02 metres) and the second highest on record after the June 1875 floods (6 metres). In Oloron Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the Gave d’Oloron river reached its second highest ever level, standing at 5.04 metres on 10 January, below the record high of 5.27 metres seen in June 2018. Communities along the Garonne river in the Haute-Garonne Department saw some of the worst flooding. In the department capital Toulouse, the Garonne river stood at 4.31 metres as of 11 January, the highest level seen since the floods of June 2000 (4.38 metres).

Fiji – One person has died and over 4,000 evacuated their homes after flooding in Fiji brought by heavy rain from Tropical Storm Cody. The island group has seen heavy rain since last week, with rain intensifying as Tropical Storm Cody moved closer. Tailevu on Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island, recorded 369mm of rain in 24 hours on 10 January 2022.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Spain – Northern Spain sees major floods following Storm Barra. The River Arga in Spain’s northern region of Navarre broke its banks in the town of Villava on Friday, flooding streets and leaving many homes submerged under water with only their roof tops visible.

France – Rivers overflowed their banks across a large swath of southwest France on Friday after heavy rains lashed the region overnight, leading to evacuations of dozens of residents. Warm southern winds that have melted snowbanks in the Pyrenees mountains in recent days also contributed to the flooding, which could persist for several days.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

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In the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Depression Nicholas is located about 15 mi…25 km nne of Port Arthur Texas and about 35 mi…60 km w of Lake Charles Louisiana with maximum sustained winds…30 mph…45 km/h. Present movement…e or 90 degrees at 3 mph…6 km/h.

In the northwest Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm 19w (Chanthu), located approximately 249 nm southwest of Sasebo, Japan, is tracking east-southeastward at 04 knots.

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Newsbytes:

France – Torrential rainfall of 244 mm in just 3 hours caused flooding in parts of Gard Department in southern France on 14 September 2021. Dozens of people were rescued and one person is reported missing. The equivalent of more than two months of rain fell on the south and west of the department in a few hours early on 15 September, in particular areas around Nîmes. As much as 244 mm of rain fell in Saint-Dionisy in 3 hours.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

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In the Atlantic Ocean: Hurricane Larry is located about 240 mi…385 km ese of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds…100 mph…155 km/h. Present movement…nnw or 330 degrees at 16 mph…26 km/h.

Tropical Depression Mindy is located about 80 mi…125 km sse of Valdosta Georgia and about 150 mi…240 km sw of Savannah Georgia with maximum sustained winds…35 mph…55 km/h . Pesent movement…ne or 55 degrees at 20 mph…31 km/h.

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In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm 15e (Olaf), located approximately 900 nm southeast of San Diego, is tracking north-northwestward at 05 knots.

In the northwest Pacific Ocean: Tropical storm (ts) 18w (Conson), located approximately 241 nm west-northwest of Manila, Philippines, is tracking west-northwestward at 14 knots.

Super Typhoon 19w (Chanthu), located approximately 365 east of Manila, Philippines, is tracking west-northwestward at 09 knots.

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Newsbytes:

Sudan – Floods have caused what local authorities described as ‘catastrophic devastation’ in White Nile state, and extra boats have been deployed on the river to evacuate people who have been stranded by floodwater since the beginning of the week. Official sources say that the main stream of the Nile at Atbara has risen since yesterday, but is still almost a metre below 2020 flood levels. More than 1,800 families, estimated at 15,000 people, in 53 villages, have been affected by floods in El Jebelein locality in White Nile state.

France – Nearly two months of rain fell in just a few hours in Lot-et-Garonne Department in southwestern France late on 08 September 2021. Streets of the city of Agen were inundated with over 2 metres of water, according to the city government. Areas of nearby Boé, Nérac and Marmande were also affected and several roads in the area closed. In Boé, part of the roof of a supermarket collapsed under the weight of the rain.

Philippines – Tropical Cyclone Conson (local name Jolina), brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to parts of the Philippines after making its first landfall in Hernani, Eastern Samar on 06 September 2021. Twelve fishermen are missing in roughs seas off the coast of the province of Antique. The storm affected a total of 12,213 people from 2,753 families across the provinces of Albay, Antique, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Masbate, Negros Occidental, Samar and Sorsogon.

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Wildfires

Wildfires – France

Thousands of people fled homes, campgrounds and hotels near the French Riviera on Tuesday as firefighters battled a blaze that raced through nearby forests, sending smoke pouring down wooded slopes toward vineyards in the picturesque area.

The wildfire started Monday evening, in the height of France’s summer vacation season, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) inland from the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez. Fueled by powerful seasonal winds coming off the Mediterranean Sea, the fire had spread across 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) of forest by Tuesday morning.

Wildfires – California – Update

– Antelope Fire – 56,753 acres, 27% contained, started Aug. 1.

– Dixie Fire – 604,511 acres, 31% contained, started July 13.

– River Complex – 44,117 acres, 10% contained, started July 30.

– McFarland Fire – 97,407 acres, 68% contained, started July 29.

– Monument Fire – 119,280 acres, 10% contained, started July 30.

– Caldor Fire – 6,500 acres, 0% contained, started Aug. 14.

Wildfires – Washington, USA

The Schneider Springs Fire grew has burned more than 44 square miles (114 square kilometers) since the lightning-ignited blaze started.

The Corkscrew Fire has damaged or destroyed 20 buildings — including eight homes — and has burned through more than 20 square miles (52 square kilometers).