GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
NOVEMBER 2020

SOUTH AMERICA

The city of Sanharo in Pernambuco, Brazil, has declared a state of emergency after heavy rains caused major flooding in several areas of the city on the 2nd. According to the state's water and climate agency, 288.8 mm of rain was recorded in a 24-hour
period, which was equivalent to almost half a year's average. Meteorologists said the amount of rain is unusual for the month of November, which is commonly a dry month. Around 300 people were left homeless after floods triggered by heavy rains hit
Sanharo. This prompted the city government to declare a state of emergency and accommodated the displaced victims at gymnasiums and schools. In Petrolina, a portion of a hospital's roof collapsed due to strong winds and heavy rains.

EUROPE

Major floods hit parts of southern Andalusia, Spain, resulting in damage, blocked roads, trapped residents, and a derailed train (5th). The region registered 148.1 mm of rain in a 24 hour period, which was more than the average November rainfall of 100
mm.

At least three people have been killed on the Italian island of Sardinia after flooding caused by heavy rains (27th-28th) . Footage posted on social media shows rivers of mud flowing through the town of Bitti in Nuoro province. Italian media say the
three who have died there include an older man who drowned at home and a man killed in his vehicle. Strong winds and rain afflicted the island, cutting off power and forcing some people to evacuate.

UNITED STATES

Back-to-back cold fronts brought record temperatures and heavy snow to California, after months of hot weather and wildfires in the state (6th-9th). Single-day snowfall records were also broken in several areas in Nevada. In California, a total of 46 cm
of snow engulfed Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort over the weekend, followed by 25 cm (10 inches) at Sugar Bowl. Daytime temperatures plunged to 50F, with freeze warnings and frost advisories issued for some inland valleys overnight. On the 9th the temperature
at Oakland Airport dipped to 38F, breaking the cold record for the day of 41F set in 2009. Gilroy shivered through a below-freezing 31F, beating the previous record of 34F set in 1986. Parts of Southern California have also started experiencing chilly
temperatures after months of hot weather and wildfires.

Severe storms accompanied by high winds led to widespread power outages in the Midwest and the northeastern U.S. over the weekend, affecting more than 800000 customers (14th-16th). Property damage was also reported, as well as flooding along the shores
of the Great Lakes into the 16th. A deepening area of low pressure brought winds of up to 76 mph with a large area of strong wind gusts then affecting Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio. Strong winds knocked down trees, caused property damage, and triggered
lakeshore flooding across the Great Lakes, which persisted through Monday. The National Weather Service Detroit has issued a high wind warning for the Detroit area and much of Michigan.

A late-evening tornado touched down in Arlington, Dallas-Forth Worth Metropolitan Area (USA), leaving a trail of damage to buildings and vehicles (24th). The National Weather Service (NWS) said their survey team found EF-2 damage in south Arlington. This
is the first significant November tornado to strike in North Texas since 1987, according to NWS. On 15 November 1987, an F3 tornado hit Palestine in Anderson County, killing 10 people and injuring 160.

CANADA

A strong low-pressure system brought blizzard conditions, heavy snow and freezing rain to parts of the Canadian Prairies, shutting down roads in Saskatchewan and Alberta and setting new all-time November snow records (7th-8th). While heavy snow fell in
western parts of Saskatchewan, its eastern regions experienced freezing rain. The town of Kindersley in Saskatchewan recorded 47.6 cm of snow on the 7th and 8th, setting a new 48-hour snowfall record. Kindersley recorded 11.6 cm on Saturday; and 35.8 cm
on Sunday, breaking the previous 24-hour snowfall record of 21.3 cm set on 17 March 1974. Biggar and Leader have also broken November 2019 snow totals with 21.1 cm in Biggar in 48 hours - which is 6 cm) more than the entire November 2019 - and 23.1 cm in
Leader. In November 2019, Leader recorded a total of 12.8 cm.

NEW ZEALAND

A state of emergency was declared in Napier, New Zealand, after up to 242.4 mm of rain triggered damaging floods, landslides, and power outages that affected more than 3000 homes on the 9th. The amount of rain that fell in a 12-hour period to Tuesday
10th, made for the city's wettest day since 1963 and the second-highest on record, while the rainfall between 0400 and 0500 UTC was the heaviest hour of rain in 25 years. According to the Civil Defense, the police had evacuated one side of Havelock Road.
It also reported landslips on at least five roads, and 14 roads and streets were closed. Many schools also announced temporary closures.
cane to reach category five - the last was in 1932.

ASIA

A powerful storm hit Vietnam, injuring at least five people as winds of 90 km/h uprooted trees and damaged buildings (15th). Storm Vamco hit the Philippines earlier this week, with rescuers urgently searching for thousands of people trapped after
catastrophic floods. Thousands in Vietnam were told to evacuate on Saturday and airports and beaches closed. The storm weakened from Typhoon strength as it travelled westwards from the Philippines but still caused serious destruction in Vietnam. In the
Philippines, International Red Cross rescue teams are searching floodwaters with torches in the Cayagan valley in the island of Luzon where towns and villages are submerged. Some of the thousands of people stranded on rooftops have been rescued. The
death toll has risen to at least 67 and dozens remain missing after Vamco hit on Wednesday, just one week after Goni, the most powerful typhoon seen in the country in seven years.

RUSSIA

A snowstorm has battered parts of the Russian Far-East, causing power cuts, transport chaos and school closures (19th). The storm hit the Primorsky region. In the port city of Vladivostok winds brought down frozen trees and ice-laden power lines. A state
of emergency has been declared across the region. Rescue services and the army are scrambling to deal with the fallout. At least 150,000 homes have been left without electricity. Wires and trees were encrusted in ice up to 0.4 inches thick, an occurrence
not seen in 30 years. Local media said some hospitals in Vladivostok, including one treating coronavirus patients, had to use back-up generators for electricity. Meanwhile, there were long delays for public transport and flights as freezing conditions
hampered travel.

MIDDLE EAST

Severe weather, including tornadoes, strong winds, and heavy rains pounded the northern parts of the North Cyprus, causing widespread damage (20th). Power lines, rooftops and trees were torn apart, and three people sustained injuries due to falling
debris. Coastal settlements of Ozankoy, Catalkoy and Karsiyaka were particularly affected by strong winds that also damaged power grids.

Dozens of people were rescued in several parts of Israel after exceptionally heavy rains triggered severe flooding (20th-22nd). Up to 230 mm of rain fell in some parts of the country in just 24 hours, surpassing the average for the month of November of
70 mm. These rains came after a completely dry October.

Heavy rains have fallen over the past few days in Kuwait (30th). Al Sabriya received the highest amount of rain - around 134 mm or about six times the average rain for the month of November. The heavy rains have been affecting the country from Jahra to
Salwa, clogging manholes and forcing authorities to activate an emergency plan. Homes, schools, and hospitals were damaged during the storm, while many motorists had to brave the flooded roads.

AUSTRAILIA

Sydney has reported its hottest November night on record, with the official start of summer still days away (2th). The city recorded a minimum overnight temperature of 25.4C and then hit 40C during the daytime on Sunday. Dozens of bush fires are already
burning in New South Wales with hotter weather predicted on Tuesday. The states of Victoria and South Australia also reported soaring heat over the weekend. Sydney's record temperature was recorded at Observatory Hill in the Central Business District. By
0430 h the temperature had risen back up to 30C. The previous minimum temperature record at Observatory Hill was 24.8C in 1967.

TROPICAL

Super typhoon Goni has killed four people in the Philippines after ferocious winds caused power outages and infrastructure damage (1st). About 350,000 people were evacuated from its projected path, including in the capital, Manila, where the main
international airport was ordered closed. Goni made two landfall in two places in the Bicol region, where four deaths were reported, said provincial Governor Al Francis Bichara, including one hit by a tree and a five-year-old washed away after a river
overflowed. In Quezon, Governor Danilo Suarez said power supply was cut in 10 towns as Goni toppled trees. Between 19 million and 31 million people could be affected by the typhoon, including those in danger zones and in metropolitan Manila, the disaster
management agency said. The storm hit in the early hours of the morning with sustained winds of 215 km/h and gusts of 290 km/h. It was moving west toward densely populated regions, including Manila, and rain-soaked provinces still recovering from a
typhoon that hit a week ago and left at least 22 dead.

CENTRAL AMERICA

At least 150 people have been killed by landslides in Guatemala after Storm Eta's torrential rain and high winds battered the Central American country (3rd-13th). Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said around half the deaths were in a single town
where a hillside collapse buried some 20 houses under thick mud. Eta made landfall in neighbouring Nicaragua as a hurricane on Tuesday (3rd). It was later downgraded to a tropical storm. Ongoing heavy rain has left rescue workers unable to reach one of
the worst-affected areas, including the town of San Cristobal Verapaz, which is home to half of the reported casualties. Eta first hit Nicaragua as a Category Four hurricane with winds of 140 mph and torrential rains. It then weakened into a tropical
depression as it moved into neighbouring Honduras and later Guatemala. In Nicaragua, tens of thousands of people were evacuated to shelters before the hurricane struck. On the country's north coast, two men were killed when a landslide buried the mine
where they were working. Eta then made landfall in Cuba's Sancti Spìritus Province on the 8th and then made its third landfall on the Lower Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys on the 9th. By 1235 UTC on the 11th, Eta strengthened into a hurricane again
west of Florida and then made landfall near Cedar Key, Florida on the 12th. Eta weakened over land as it accelerated north-northeastwards, emerging over the Atlantic Ocean near the Florida/Georgia border. More than 10000 people sought refuge at shelters
in Puerto Cabezas and surrounding villages. Eta knocked down power lines and trees while damaging roofs and causing flooding in Puerto Cabezas. Overall, at least 200 fatalities across Central America have been attributed to the storm. Eta bought heavy
rainfall and gusty winds to the Cayman Islands and Cuba, the latter of which was already dealing overflowing rivers that prompted evacuations. Heavy rainfall and tropical-storm force winds were recorded across all of the Florida Keys and South Florida as
well as the southern half of Central Florida, bringing widespread flooding to the region. Eta's second approach and landfall bought storm surge and gusty winds to the west coast of Central Florida as well as additional heavy rainfall to northern Florida.

At 0300 UTC on the 10th subtropical storm Theta was named, the first ever 29th named storm in an Atlantic hurricane season, breaking the record set in 2005 (10th-14th). The effects of strong southwesterly shear and cooler waters began to take their toll
on Theta and the tropical storm began to slowly weaken on the 11th. Convection continued to wax and wane around the center as it fluctuated in intensity over the next two days, before the system began to weaken again early on the 14th.

Tropical depression 31 developed in the southern Caribbean on the 13th, tying 2005 for the most tropical depressions in one season (13-19th). Within six hours the system strengthened into tropical storm Iota. Iota is the 13th hurricane of the 2020
Atlantic hurricane season. Iota made landfall as a category four storm near the town of Puerto Cabezas on the 16th, where patients had to be evacuated from a makeshift hospital after its roof was ripped off. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said
Iota was now a category two storm, but warned it could bring life-threatening storm surges, catastrophic winds, flash flooding and landslides. Iota struck Nicaragua with sustained winds of nearly 155 mph, the NHC said. It strengthened at sea to a
category five storm but it weakened as it made landfall. In Puerto Cabezas, also known as Bilwi, the storm damaged wooden homes, flooded streets and cut off electricity. Residents said the wind ripped away the roofs of houses "like they were made of
cardboard". By the 19th at least 30 people had lost their lives in Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Panama and El Salvador. Tens of thousands were forced to flee their homes as Hurricane Iota hit Nicaragua and neighboring countries. Iota is the strongest
Atlantic hurricane of the year and only the second November hurricane to reach category five - the last was in 1932.

Cyclone Nivar killed three people and injured three more after making landfall in southern India, where torrential rainfall lashed coastal areas of Tamil Nadu (25th). Officials said it reached wind speed of more than 120 km/h, but then weakened into a
severe cyclonic storm. They said all essential services have now been restored. Tens of thousands of people from low lying areas had been evacuated ahead of its landfall. Heavy wind had already felled trees and strong rains flooded parts of Tamil Nadu
and the capital, Chennai

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