Europe experienced well above normal temperatures last week, with the cold conditions at the start of February all but a distant memory.
The mild and very dry conditions developed thanks to an extensive area of high pressure, combined with south to south-westerly winds from Morocco and Algeria. A number of all-time February temperature records were broken, most notably in Sweden where 16.8C was recorded in Kalmar on the 25th. On the same day, 22.1C was observed in Maków Podhalański, surpassing Poland’s record. Göttingen in Germany also recorded the country’s sharpest temperature rise in one week, with -23.8C on the 14th, and 18.1C recorded one week later.
Meanwhile, north-western parts of Brazil and east Peru have been affected by severe flooding and mudslides over recent days following torrential rain. A state of emergency was declared in the Amazon region as rivers burst their banks. The Brazilian president visited the area last week to see the damage, as thousands remain without clean water and electricity.
Finally, an iceberg roughly the size of the city of Los Angeles broke off the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica, almost 10 years after scientists discovered significant cracks within the ice. The news comes as research shows glaciers in west Antarctica are moving faster, contributing to rising sea levels globally.
