GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

DECEMBER 2019

AFRICA

Flooding in Uganda has claimed at least 16 lives, the Red Cross says, as the region reels from weeks of rain (8th). Rescuers have been recovering the bodies of victims swept to their deaths by the flash floods in the western Bundibugyo area, the aid
group said. Homes have been washed away and a number of roads blocked or destroyed. Large parts of east Africa have suffered floods and landslides in recent weeks. Hundreds have died and millions have been displaced.

Heavy rains have battered parts of South Africa, submerging whole neighbors and flooding coal mines and power stations in a nation already hit by electricity blackouts (10th). At least 700 homes have been washed away near the capital, Pretoria, public
broadcaster SABC reported. The state-run power company warned of further electricity cuts, saying heavy rains had affected its operations. The power cuts, known as load shedding in South Africa, have halted gold and diamond production at some leading
mines.

AUSTRAILIA

A shroud of smoke from Australia's bushfires has caused chaos in Sydney, bringing dangerous air quality, setting off smoke alarms and ruining visibility in its typically sparkling harbor (10th). The haze was described by many people as the thickest to
blanket the city amid this year's fire crisis. It caused the cancellation of ferry and boat rides, while smoke permeating buildings forced evacuations citywide.

A state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales, Australia, amid fears a record-breaking heatwave will exacerbate the state's bushfire crisis (1th). The nation endured its hottest-ever day on Tuesday, but that record was smashed again on
Wednesday - which saw a national average maximum temperature of 41.9C. Tuesday's 40.9C had eclipsed the previous record of 40.3C, set in 2013. The Bureau of Meteorology said individual December temperature records had been broken in a number of places -
with temperatures in the

Australian military aircraft and vessels will be deployed to help emergency services in the fire-ravaged states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. Thousands of people fled to beaches in the south-eastern states on Tuesday as emergency-level fires
spread (30th-31st). Two more people have been confirmed dead in NSW, bringing the fire-linked death toll to 12. Authorities say four people are missing in Victoria and another in NSW. Several holiday spots along the coast have been cut off and the main
road in the region - the Princes Highway - has been closed. Temperatures exceeded 40C in every state and territory at the start of the week, with strong winds and lightning strikes bolstering the flames. Meteorologists say a climate system in the Indian
Ocean, known as the dipole, is the main driver behind the extreme heat in Australia.

ICELAND

Much of Iceland is digging out following a potent blizzard that brought winds topping 100 mph and yards of snow to some areas amid what one Icelandic meteorologist referred to as a "10 year storm (10th-11th)." As many as 20,000 people are without power
as temperatures tumble into the teens and 20s, with a few communities completely isolated. The storm was so severe that it prompted the Icelandic Met Office to issue an unprecedented "red alert;"; this was the first red alert issued with the new warning
system that has been in use since 2017. The red alert was hoisted for northern parts of the country, while orange-level warnings covered the country's capital, Reykjavik. The storm's most intense impact struck on Tuesday. Gusts reached as high as 149 mph
Skalafell - which is about 20 miles east-northeast of Reykjavik. There were unconfirmed reports that the winds there gusted to 159 mph. Sustained winds hit 63 mph in Reykjavik.

FRANCE

Stormy conditions led to two deaths in south-west France. In addition to floods, strong winds raged in many departments, from Normandy to Corsica (13th-14th). Five other people were injured by falling trees on their vehicle in Lot-et-Garonne. The south-
west has experienced heavy rains in recent days. Eleven departments were placed on orange alert on Saturday by Meteo France. In Lot-et-Garonne, the rising waters were expected to continue until Sunday, causing the closure of many flooded roads.
southern city of Adelaide hitting 45.3C. Nullarbor, also in southern Australia, reached 49.9C.

RUSSIA

Moscow has been so warm this December that the government has resorted to sending trucks filled with artificial snow to decorate a new year display in the city center 30th). Videos of the delivery for a snowboarding hill went viral as observers noted the
irony of bringing snow to a city that spends millions each year on its removal. The Moscow region is in the throes of one of its warmest winters since temperatures began to be systematically recorded 140 years ago. The temperature in the Russian capital
rose to 5.4C on 18 December, topping the previous record for the month set in 1886. Then on the 22nd 6.2C was reported in Moscow.

INDIA

At least 40 flights were cancelled and hundreds delayed as dense fog shrouded Delhi (India), drastically reducing visibility (30th). Delhi recorded its coldest day since 1901, with the maximum temperature rising to 9.4C. "This December is the second
coldest December since 1901. Usually, January is the coldest winter month, but this time, the mercury has broken decades' record in December itself," said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre, New Delhi.

TROPICAL

At least two people died when Typhoon Kammuri tore through the Philippines, forcing Manila airport to shut (3rd). At least 200,000 residents were evacuated from coastal and mountainous areas over fears of flooding, storm surges and landslides. The storm
landed south of the capital Manila. The deaths were reported on the central island of Mindoro. Some events at the Southeast Asian Games, which opened on Saturday, were cancelled or re-scheduled. Operations at Manila airport were suspended for 12 hours
starting 0300 GMT.

Typhoon Phanfone has killed at least 10 people in the Philippines, leaving a trail of devastation through the centre of the country. The storm, also known as Ursula, carried gusts of close to 190 km/h and made landfall several times across various
islands, officials say. Tens of thousands of people were left stranded in ports as they tried to make their way home for Christmas (24th-25th). Phanfone struck close to regions devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Typhoon Phanfone first made landfall on
Tuesday night, but continued to pass over the many islands of the central Philippines throughout Christmas Day. Most deaths occurred in Iloilo and Capiz provinces.

One person was killed in Fiji and one was missing as tropical cyclone Sarai battered the country with strong wind and heavy rain, authorities said (29th). The Fiji National Disaster Management Office said one person was in intensive care and more than 2,
500 people had been moved to 70 evacuation centers. The category two tropical cyclone was not expected to make landfall in Fiji though its weather service issued storm and flood warnings for parts of the country. Close to its center the cyclone was
expected to have average winds of up to 110km/h with momentary gusts to 150km/h, the Fiji Meteorological Service said.

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