April is traditionally a fickle month for Europe with northerly winds still able to bring snow, while a shift to a southerly flow can send temperatures soaring and make it feel like mid summer.
It’s the latter that has dominated in the past week across central and east Europe with temperatures rising well above normal for the time of year.
In the Balkan states some places have had highs of 30C, and the warmth has even spread as far north as Scandinavia, with south-west Sweden recording a maximum of 20C on Tuesday, more than 10 degrees above normal. However, extremes in April are usually short lived and this year will be no exception – cooler weather is on the way.
Meanwhile, in the US north-east winter is still hanging on with unusually low temperatures as well as storms and snowfall. Last weekend frigid air moving in from the north brought snow as far south as Chicago, and on Monday a winter storm swept through, depositing several inches of snow in parts of New York state and Massachusetts, as well as bringing thunderstorms and strong winds. Further bouts of wintry weather are expected in the coming few days.
Fiji suffered severe flooding Monday and Tuesday, following several days of torrential rain due to a slow-moving tropical disturbance nearby. Many homes flooded, especially in the north-west of Viti Levu, where schools were shut, and the town of Nadi closed off after the river burst its banks. The effects of the flooding strike especially hard as many areas are still recovering from the extensive damage wrought by from Cyclone Winston in February.
