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'Rolling emergency' of locust swarms decimating Africa, Asia and Middle East

Kaamil Ahmed
The Guardian
Mon, 08 Jun 2020 07:15 UTC
A farmer’s daughter waves her shawl to chase away swarms of desert locusts in Katitika village, Kitui county, Kenya
© Ben Curtis/AP
A farmer’s daughter waves her shawl to chase away swarms of desert locusts in Katitika village, Kitui county, Kenya.
Locust swarms threaten a "rolling emergency" that could endanger harvests and food security across parts of Africa and Asia for the rest of the year, experts warn.

An initial infestation of locusts in December was expected to die out during the current dry season. But unseasonal rains have allowed several generations of locust to breed, resulting in new swarms forming.

Huge swarms of locusts have been causing devastation across swathes of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Erratic weather conditions and storms have aided their path. As a result, countries have been battling the pests for months to avoid a hunger crisis.

Desert locusts, which live in areas between west Africa and India, cause the most devastation and like to breed in moist conditions. These locusts live for three months. Eggs hatch two weeks after they have been laid, and hoppers become adults after about six weeks.

Adult locusts can eat their body weight every day, and fly up to 150km a day in search of new supplies.

Kenya is experiencing its worst infestation for 70 years, with pastoralists complaining that the vegetation on which their livestock feeds is being wiped out. Ethiopia and Somalia have not seen an outbreak this bad for 25 years. Swarms have also been destroying crops in Uganda, India and Pakistan.


Comment: Devastating swarms of locusts now headed for the Middle East - UN forecaster

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Snowflake Cold

Adelaide CBD records coldest morning since 1944


ABC News
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 19:14 UTC
Donna Buss's frosty yard in Cudlee Creek
© Supplied: Donna Buss
Donna Buss's frosty yard in Cudlee Creek.
Parts of South Australia turned white with frost overnight — and the surface of the River Torrens froze over — as Adelaide's CBD shivered through its coldest morning in 76 years.

The mercury dropped to 0.9 degrees Celsius at Adelaide's central West Terrace weather station about 5:20am — the coldest temperature in the city since June 24, 1944.

The record low at the site is 0.6C on July 24, 1908, although even colder temperatures have been recorded at the former main weather station at Kent Town.

The temperature at Parafield Airport in Adelaide's northern suburbs dipped to minus 2.4C, its lowest minimum since local records began.

Adelaide Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Jenny Horvat told ABC Radio Adelaide a high east of the city was keeping temperatures down.

"It's quite a dry air mass, which is making it easier to get to those low temperatures," she said.

Comment: See also:

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Snowflake

Summer snow falls in Teller County, other parts of Colorado - at least 5 inches overnight

Erin Prater
Colorado Springs Gazette
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 17:39 UTC
snow
© Debbie Kelley/Colorado Springs Gazette
Teller County on Tuesday morning
Rain, snow, thunderstorms and strong winds are expected along the Front Range on Tuesday morning ahead of a sunny, relatively cool day.

The Teller County area received 2-4 inches of snow overnight, with reports of 4 inches in Divide and of 2.4 and 4 inches in Woodland Park, according to Stephen Rodriguez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pueblo. Nearly 2 inches was received in Monument, and 4 inches in Silverthorne, according to the weather service. Additional reports have northern Colorado Springs receiving a dusting. A Gazette staffer reported snow in Black Forest.

Snow accumulation also occurred at Rabbit Ears and Cameron passes in Northern Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park, Gazette news partner 9News in Denver reports.


Comment: A report from Loveland Pass states at least 8 inches of snowfall.

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Snowflake

At least 6 inches of June snowfall in 12 hours in southeast Wyoming

Doug Randall
kgab.com
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 17:19 UTC
snow Wyoming
The Cheyenne Office of the National Weather Service is warning about continuing snowfall in areas of southeast Wyoming above 7000 feet.

As of 6:40 a.m., the Interstate 80 summit between Cheyenne and Laramie remained closed, according to WYDOT.


Some areas have received 6 inches or more over the past 12 hours or so. The agency posted this statement on it's website early Tuesday morning:
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Cloud Precipitation

Floods turn deadly in Accra, Ghana


Floodlist
Wed, 10 Jun 2020 17:07 UTC
floods
Flooding in in the city of Accra, Ghana has left 1 dead and 2 missing.

Heavy rain began during the late hours of 08 June, with wide areas of the capital flooded soon after. The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), speaking to local TV news, said 1 person died in the Odawna area of the city. The search for two missing people continues. Military personnel and NADMO have rescued at least 20 people trapped in the flooding.

NADMO is carrying out damage assessments and relief operations in affected areas. Flooding damaged or destroyed buildings and possessions. Some people have evacuated their homes, in particular in areas around Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

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Windsock

Powerful sandstorm slams Mandalgovĭ, Mongolia

Infotainment
YouTube
Wed, 10 Jun 2020 13:24 UTC
sandstorm
Sandstorm hits Mandalgovĭ, Dundgovi - Mongolia, June 9, 2020.

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Cloud Precipitation

Severe hailstorm strikes St. Petersburg, Russia


YouTube
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 13:14 UTC
hail
Severe hailstorm hits St. Petersburg - RUSSIA, June 9, 2020.

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Snowflake

Summer snow falls in Qilian Mountains, China


ChinaDaily.com.cn
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 20:32 UTC
The Qilian Mountains after the snow that fell late on June 7, 2020.
© Wu Xuefeng
The Qilian Mountains after the snow that fell late on June 7, 2020.
A surprising snow fell in the Qilian Mountains from Sunday afternoon and overnight to Monday morning.

Small towns, including Huangcheng, Mati, Kangle and Dahe in Yugu autonomous county of Sunan, Gansu province, have been wrapped in white.

The snow wonder has amazed netizens.

All four seasons can be shown in a single photograph.
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Boat

Over 20 dead or missing, 2.63 million affected by floods in south China - 110 rivers exceed warning levels

huaxia
Xinhua
Wed, 10 Jun 2020 11:29 UTC
flood china
More than 20 people were killed or remain missing after torrential downpours unleashed floods in south China.

The rain-triggered floods had affected some 2.63 million people in 11 provincial-level regions as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

The heavy rain forced the relocation of about 228,000 people, destroyed over 1,300 houses and brought direct economic losses of over 4 billion yuan (about 566 million U.S. dollars), the ministry said.

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China, six people were killed and one is missing after days of downpours.

Over 1 million people have been affected by the floods, including 147,900 who were relocated to safe areas, the regional flood control and drought relief headquarters said Tuesday.

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Doberman

Fatal pit bull attack on owner in Nova Scotia, Canada


The Chronicle Herald
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 11:04 UTC
An official from the Nova Scotia medical examiner
© Tim Krochak
An official from the Nova Scotia medical examiner's office removes the body of a dog suspected in a fatal attack in Middle Musquodoboit on Tuesday.
A Middle Musquodoboit woman killed by one of her two pet pit bulls Tuesday morning adored her dogs and her world revolved around them, said the victim's neighbour.

"Those dogs were the focal point of her life," said the man who did not want to be identified given the tragedy that unfolded in his community.

"It's very sad circumstances," he said.

RCMP said that the victim was a Middle Musquodoboit resident. Community members confirmed the victim to be Meghan MacAdams, an employee of the province's Department of Lands and Forestry.

Officers were called to the scene of the fatal incident on Wittenburg Road at just after 8 a.m. About an hour and a half after police discovered her body the dog was found dead after being run down by a vehicle near Highway 224, said police.

But the victim's neighbour said he was shocked to find out which of the dogs was responsible for the woman's death. He said one of the pit bulls she owned, which was at the victim's home at the time of the incident, was known to be very aggressive and had attacked the owner last year. The other that turned on its owner was always mild-mannered and well behaved, he said.

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