Australia saw a bout of severe weather through last weekend, as severe thunderstorms caused damage and disruption in Queensland. Winds gusting up to 100mph (160km/h) associated with the storms were culpable for much of the destruction, with shipping containers being tossed around in the Port of Brisbane. Hail also caused problems, with stones as large as golf balls damaging cars in some areas. The storms knocked out power to more than 30,000 properties and caused two days of delays and cancellations at Brisbane airport.
Meanwhile, in Europe, the Alps have benefited from an excellent start to the ski season with impressive amounts of snowfall. Some areas have had up to 75cm (30in) of snow, in stark contrast to recent seasons, which had early snow droughts. Some resorts such as Alpe d’Huez have opened several weeks ahead of schedule, bringing hopes of a bumper ski season.
However, the abundance of snow has not been repeated on the other side of the Atlantic, with the mainland US experiencing an unprecedented dearth of snow for mid-November. At this time of year, we can expect about 13% of the country to have snow cover. At the moment it is less than 1%, with snow confined to the highest peaks. This beats the previous record of about 2.5%.
The near-absence of snow coincides with record warmth seen across the US and Canada in recent weeks. International Falls, on the US-Canada border, has seen maximum temperatures consistently around the mid-teens Celsius, while the November average is close to freezing.
