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Deadly
heatwave kills 11 in South Africa as mercury hits 45 degrees Celsius
(113 degrees Fahrenheit)
10
January, 2016
South
African health officials say 11 people have died of heatstroke after
a weeklong heatwave across the country.
Provincial spokesman Tebogo Lekgethwane said Sunday that eight people died on Thursday as temperatures passed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the North West province.
Three more people died on Friday, and 16 others were hospitalized.
According to the South African Weather Service, the North West province reached record temperatures this week, with the highest at 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
The weather service warned that high temperatures may give way severe thunderstorms in the coming week.
In neighboring Namibia, the Namibian Press Association reported that severe storms damaged 31 houses, affecting nearly 100 people in recent weeks.
Parts
of southern Africa are experiencing a drought due to the El Nino
weather phenomenon.
I have a close relative living in the UK whose response is "that's happening somewhere else"
The winter heatwave hits the North Pole - AGAIN
Indian
Summer returns to the Arctic? Invasion of the giant red blobs?
Temperature anomaly for the next few days above the average 1971-2000
baseline. All times 1800 UTC or 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
Victoria, Australia: Third
day of the heatwave. 40 degrees or more in some places
Melbourne
area 24°C
Early
morning cloud then a mostly sunny day. Light winds becoming southerly
15 to 25 km/h in the middle of the day then becoming light in the
evening.
**
Victoria Forecast **
A
fine and mostly sunny day apart from the chance of isolated showers
about the eastern ranges in the afternoon. Warm to hot with light to
moderate southwesterly winds, milder near the coast with moderate
afternoon seabreezes.
Fire
Danger - High to Very High.
**
Forecast Summary for Victorian Towns **
*
Mallee *
Mildura
41 °C Hot and sunny.
Swan
Hill 40 °C Hot and mostly sunny.
Kerang
38 °C Hot and sunny.
Ouyen
40 °C Hot and sunny.
Birchip
38 °C Hot and sunny.
Bridge
partially reopens after break that cut Canada in two
Monday,
January 11, 2016, 9:42 AM - The Nipigon River Bridge has partially
reopened, after a major mechanical failure forced its closure Sunday,
essentially cutting Canada in two.
The
link, part of the Trans-Canada Highway, split during a period of
intense cold Sunday, raising parts of its surface 60 cm, making it
impassable to vehicles.
On
Monday morning, the Ontario Provincial Police tweeted that one lane
had been opened, warning drivers to expect delays.
Ontario's
transportation ministry has dispatched engineers to the region to
assess the damage. The closure temporarily shut down the only link
between eastern and western Canada, stranding some travellers and
forcing others to take a detour through the United States.
The Ed Hobo
I cannot believe what I am seeing in #Nipigon right now. #someonegonnagetahurtinrealbad
The
mechanical failure comes shortly after the bridge reopened amidst a
twinning project costing $106 million. Two westbound lanes opened on
November 29, according to TB News Watch.
Ashley
Littlefield, a resident of the nearby community of Dorion, told the
CBC she was there when the bridge failed.
"As
we turned ... we saw the whole bridge — a kind of big gust of wind
came underneath it and blew it up and then it came back down,"
Littlefield told the broadcaster. "We watched two pickup trucks
come flying over ... They didn't see us, didn't hear my horn honking,
and they flew over and smashed their front ends down on the cement."
Daytime
highs in the region were in the negative mid teens, feeling close to
-24 in Nipigon at the time the bridge split. Extreme temperature
differentials can cause steel and other materials to expand and
contract, but modern bridges are typically built with that in mind.
There is currently no indication weather was a factor in the
malfunction, and engineers will investigate on Monday.
The
closure stranded several people in the region, prompting the Township
of Nipigon to open its community centre to anyone needing a place to
stay. The community's mayor, Richard Harvey, told CBC the bridge
closure is part of the town's emergency plan.
"If
this is something that is going to take a little longer, we do have
other options that we'll be looking at to get traffic moving as
quickly as possible," he told the broadcaster.
The
nearby community of Greenstone declared a state of emergency due to
the bridge's closure.
For
the latest information on highway closures, the public can call 511,
MTO's Road Information Line or check here.
Australia: Firefighters say climate change fuelling disasters
Bushfires have destroyed more than half a million hectares of land since October in what firefighters says is a sign of heightened catastrophic fire weather conditions across Australia fuelled by climate change.
A
hay shed burns on a property near Freeling during the recent Pinery
bushfire. Photo: AAP / Brenton Edwards.
The
Australian Climate and Firefighters Alliance says fire events are
becoming more frequent and harder to predict due to changing weather
patterns and increasing fuel loads.
Since
October, major fires in South Australia, Victoria and Western
Australia have claimed eight lives and have destroyed 222 homes along
with hundreds of other buildings, leaving a damage bill of more than
$280 million.
“While
it is impossible to put a price on a human life, the cost of property
and livestock destroyed in these fire events alone is staggering,”
alliance spokesman Paul Gray said in a statement on Tuesday.
“When
coupled with the devastation to communities and the families and
friends of those lost, it’s obvious that we need to be doing as
much as we can to ensure our own government and those overseas commit
to stabilising global temperatures before it is too late.
“The
danger to communities and the risks to civilians and the firefighters
employed to protect them are too great.”
Darin
Sullivan, president of the Fire Brigade Employees’ Union and a
firefighter for more than 25 years, said Australia must dramatically
and rapidly increase the number of well-equipped professional
firefighters.
“We
know what is going to happen this summer. We know what is going to
happen next summer,” he said.
“Unfortunately,
we also know what is going to happen in years to come if action is
not taken now and it won’t be good.”
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