Tropical storm Dikeledi slammed into northern Mozambique Monday after leaving at least three people dead in Madagascar and triggering floods in the French territory of Mayotte.
The storm intensified as it reached Mozambique's coastal Nampula region, bringing destructive winds and torrential rains, according to French weather administration Meteo-France.
At least 120 people were killed in northern Mozambique in December when Cyclone Chido struck, after taking at least 39 lives in Mayotte where it injured more than 5,600 people and caused colossal damage.
Mozambique's National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) issued flood warnings for Dikeledi with forecasts of up to 200 millimetres (nearly eight inches) of rainfall in 24 hours and wind gusts of up to 180 kilometres (110 miles) per hour.
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Miyazaki Prefecture Monday evening in Japan, initially setting off a tsunami warning before it was called off, officials said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was 11 miles southeast of Miyazaki in the Hyuga Nada Sea at a depth of about 19 miles.
Japanese authorities issued a tsunami advisory for Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures with an expected high of up to three feet, warning residents to stay away from the coast before being called off.
Four people were killed in the Indonesian city of Batam, located in the Riau Islands province, after a landslide struck a housing complex early on Monday. The disaster also injured five others and destroyed five houses, according to the province's disaster mitigation agency.
Hendrija, the agency's head of the rehabilitation and reconstruction division, told local media that heavy rains had been falling in the Riau Islands since the previous Friday and were expected to continue until Saturday. He later urged the public to remain vigilant and alert for potential further hydrometeorological disasters.
"We plan to implement roadblocks to the housing complex as part of the emergency response. We don't want more victims," he said.
Indonesia frequently experiences hydrometeorological disasters during the rainy season. Last November, the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency warned that the country is currently entering the rainy season, with rainfall intensity expected to increase by between 20 and 40 percent due to a weak La Nina, which typically brings wetter conditions.
Rescue services in the Minas Gerais state said Sunday that nine people died in the city of Ipatinga, where 3.1 inches of rain fell in the space of one hour on Saturday night
Nine people died in the city of Ipatinga, where 80 millimeters (3.1 inches) of rain fell in the space of one hour on Saturday night, the mayor's office said.
Firefighters pulled the body of an eight-year-old boy from the rubble of a house destroyed by a landslide.
Another landslide swept away everything in its path along a street on the side of a hill in the city's Bethania neighborhood.
AFP images from the scene showed rubble from the houses poking up from the mud.
Mount Ibu Volcano sent a 5km high ash column above its crater when it erupted in Indonesia on Saturday night. Footage shows the hot lava flowing from its peak, as seen from a home in North Maluku on the evening of January 11.
Authorities recorded the eruption at 7:35 pm local time, with the ash column height reaching 5,325 metres with thick intensity leaning towards the west. The eruption lasted more than three minutes with a maximum amplitude of 28 mm.
Lava was ejected 2km from the centre with alert level 3 status. Locals and tourists are prevented from entering a 4km radius danger zone, while residents near the area are advised to use face masks and goggles.
Indonesia is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active area with frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. It has more than 130 active volcanoes, making it one of the most volcanically active countries in the world.
Ten Russian cities shattered January 8 temperature records this week, RIA Novosti reported, citing Roman Vilfand, the scientific director of Russia's Hydrometeorological Center.
In a country known for bitter winters, with temperatures sometimes plunging as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius, some regions saw unseasonably mild conditions. Large cities like Ryazan, Orel, Lipetsk, and Voronezh recorded highs of 5.1 degrees Celsius, far exceeding previous January 8 benchmarks, according to Vilfand.
The latest data released by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that 2024 was the hottest year on record, stretching back to 1890. Each of the past decades was one of the ten warmest years recorded, and the two-year average for 2023-2024 exceeded the 1.5-degree limit that countries agreed to avoid under the Paris climate agreement in 2015, Copernicus said on Friday.
Last year the planet's average temperature was 1.6 degrees Celsius higher than during the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900, before humans began burning CO2-emitting fossil fuels on a large scale, according to the service.
The year 2024 was the warmest year on record in Moscow despite the unprecedented chill recorded in the Russian capital during the first ten days of May. Moscow State University reported on December 31, citing data tracked by its meteorological observatory, that the average annual temperature reached a record high of 8.2 degrees Celsius. The previous record of 8.0 degrees Celsius was recorded in 2020.
Singapore received more than its average monthly rainfall for January over just two days - on Jan 10 and 11.
Changi recorded the highest total amount of rainfall at 255.2mm across the two days, exceeding Singapore's monthly average rainfall of 222.4mm in January, national water agency PUB said in a statement on Jan 12.
PUB said the prolonged rainy weather caused by the ongoing monsoon surge is expected to persist until Jan 13.
The agency issued several flood risk warnings on Jan 10 and 11 in locations such as Jalan Seaview, which is off Tanjong Katong Road, the junction of Mountbatten Road and Tanjong Katong Road South, as well as Jalan Pokok Serunai.
Heavy rain in these areas resulted in high water levels in drains and canals.
Heavy snowstorms continue in areas along the Sea of Japan. Although their intensity is somewhat decreasing, meteorologists warn of possible blizzards and transportation disruptions in the region, NHK WORLD-JAPAN informs.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, winter atmospheric pressure and cold air masses are contributing to heavy snowstorms that have affected the eastern and northern regions of the country.
As of Friday morning, the snow depth in Okura village (Yamagata Prefecture) reached 1.99 meters. In Uonuma city (Niigata Prefecture), 1.94 meters of snow fell, while in the famous Shirakawa village (Gifu Prefecture), the snow depth reached 1.84 meters. In some areas, the snowfall exceeds the usual norm for this time of year by more than twice.
On Thursday evening, a car in Toyooka city (Hyogo Prefecture) slid off the road and into a river. The driver is in critical condition. Preliminary reports suggest the accident may have been caused by difficult driving conditions due to snow.
Rail company JR East reported a temporary suspension of high-speed Shinkansen trains on the Yamagata line on Friday morning. Services were later resumed.
According to meteorologists, another powerful snowstorm is expected along the Sea of Japan regions by Saturday morning. People are urged to exercise caution due to potential transportation disruptions, strong winds, high waves, avalanches, and power outages.
An eleven-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs at the Hasanapur village of Punjab's Ludhiana district on Saturday. The victim was identified as Harsukhpreet Singh. A few days ago, a 10-year-old boy, Arjun, was killed in the same manner in this village.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Mullanpur Dakha) Varinder Singh Khosa said the boy was the only son of his parents. His father is a small-time farmer. DSP Khosa said the family lives on the village's periphery, and their home lacked a boundary wall. Harsukhpreet was playing outside when the dogs attacked him. His parents rushed to rescue him, but by the time he was taken to a medical facility, he had died.
After the latest fatal stray dog attack, infuriated village residents blocked Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road for two hours before the police pacified them. They demanded immediate shifting of a carcass ground in the village and removal of ferocious dogs who live near it.
At least five people have died in a wildfire in Los Angeles, officials have said, with firefighters now facing new blazes, including one in the city's famous Hollywood Hills.
With firefighters struggling to bring the blazes under control due to strong winds and dry conditions, more than 130,000 people across the wider Los Angeles area are now under evacuation orders.
The new evacuation areas include parts of the Hollywood Hills, where a new fire, dubbed the Sunset Fire, broke out on Wednesday, as well as parts of Santa Monica - famous for its pier.
Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley said on Wednesday that the largest of the fires, the Pacific Palisades blaze to the west of downtown Los Angeles, was now over 15,800 acres "and growing".
Meanwhile, firefighters continue to battle the Hurst Fire, to the north, now at 700 acres, while firefighters from the Los Angeles County continue to battle the Eaton Fire, near to the city of Pasadena, as well as a new blaze near Acton.
Los Angeles County fire chief Anthony Marrone said the five people who were killed all died in the Eaton fire.
At a news conference, Los Angeles' chief of police James McDonnell told reporters: "This is a tragic time in our history here in Los Angeles, but a time where we're really tested and see who we really are.
"It's critical that at these times we be patient, that we come together, that we focus on saving lives and to be able to the very best job we can."
He then urged those under evacuation orders to take them "very seriously", saying they make "the difference between living and not".
Weather forecasters in California are warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as fire crews on the ground race to make progress controlling three wildfires.
Officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, the notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h).
Ahead of the wind's uptick, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of the city. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who continue to arrive.
The LA County medical examiner updated the death toll on Sunday to 24, while officials said earlier at least another 16 remain missing.
Sixteen of the dead were found in the Eaton fire zone, while eight were found in the Palisades area.
Three conflagrations continue to burn around Los Angeles.
The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burnt through more than 23,000 acres and is 13% contained.
The Eaton fire is the second biggest and has burnt through more than 14,000 acres. It is 27% contained.
The Hurst fire has grown to 799 acres and has been almost fully contained.
The wildfires are on track to be among the costliest in US history.
On Sunday, private forecaster Accuweather increased its preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes to between $250bn-$275bn.
We had no claim on Mexico. Texas had no claim beyond the Nueces River, and yet we pushed on to the Rio Grande and crossed it. I am always ashamed of my country when I think of that invasion.
- Ulysses S Grant
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