The Middle East is used to extreme heat but its latest heatwave has been of extraordinary proportions. Temperatures last Friday reached a scorching 51C (124F) in Baghdad and 46C (115F) in the Iranian city of Bandar Mahshahr.
The air temperature across the latter, when combined with the dew point temperature of 32C – a measure of the amount of moisture within the air – would have made it feel more like an incredible 72C.
Meanwhile across southern Australia, which is in the icy grips of winter, the island state of Tasmania has had its greatest depths of low-altitude snow for nearly 20 years. In a winter that has brought frequent cold snaps and snowfall across the higher elevations of Queensland and Tasmania, this latest wintry outbreak produced snow that settled in the coastal town of Hobart – the first since July 1986, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
It may come as a surprise that the south-eastern parts of Australia do experience snowfall during the winter months. However, it is quite rare for snow to extend down to sea level; it is usually restricted to the mountainous regions of south-east Australia.
Finally, the Indian monsoon season is in full swing and the recent torrential rain brought by Cyclone Komen has caused widespread, severe, floods in the region of West Bengal and is thought to have claimed the lives of 100 people and displaced up to four million residents. The monsoon season, running from June until late September, gives India up to 80% of its annual rainfall.
