Drought

Drought in Swaziland

The Swaziland Government has declared a national emergency for the current drought situation, primarily caused by the cyclical weather phenomenon, El Nino.

The Prime Minister when announcing the emergency said: "At the present time, we count the loss of around 40,000 head of cattle, and have to report a serious food and water vulnerability currently experienced by approximately 300,000 of our people, which is around 25% of the population. There has been a huge negative impact on business, and agriculture, with one of our biggest employers having to reduce irrigation down to 20% of the optimum level.

The drought has also led to hydropower generation being suspended – a measure that is giving rise to load shedding - intermittent power cuts.

Snow Drought - Greenland

An unusually warm and snow-free winter in parts of Greenland has forced organizers of the Arctic Winter Games 2016 to bring truckloads of snow to the venue in the country’s capital and largest city, Nuuk. The mild winter forced adjustments to some events, which draw athletes from Canada, Russia, the United States, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Greenland.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical depression 28w (Melor), located approximately 177 nm southeast of Manila, Philippines, is tracking westward at 11 knots.

NewsBytes:

Swaziland - A severe hailstorm damaged hundreds of homes in the Hluti and Lavumisa areas of Swaziland on Saturday.

Philippines - As many as 700 000 people have been evacuated as Typhoon Melor (known locally as Nona) made landfall around 11 a.m. over Batag, Northern Samar. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Typhoon Melor is expected to cause flooding, landslides and storm surges of up to four metres. Typhoon Melor is expected to make a second landfall by Monday night in Sorsogon province. Melor has maximum sustained winds of 150 kph and gusts of up to 185 kph moving west at 17 kph.

South Island, New Zealand - Hail, heavy rain and several tornadoes battered parts of the South Island on Sunday. One tornado lifted a silage wagon off the ground and threw it onto a nearby tractor in Carew, near Geraldine, while hail stones the size of large pebbles had people across the region ducking for cover.

Earthquakes

6.7 Earthquake hits Santiago del Estero, Argentina.

5.1 Aftershock hits Santiago del Estero, Argentine.

4.5 Earthquake hoots southern Peru.

Unusual 4.0 Earthquake hits Swaziland.