Tropical Storm Nestor built up last week in record warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before dumping torrential rain across the south-east US. Wind gusts of 61mph (98km/h) and 1.6-metre storm surges were reported along the low-lying Gulf coast, while Tampa Bay in Florida was hit by 143mm of rain. A number of tornadoes were reported across the Florida peninsula. The system then tracked through Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Meanwhile, eastern and central Europe have experienced unseasonably warm conditions in the last two weeks. Temperatures across much of the Balkans region have been more than 10C above normal for this time of year. In Belgrade, Serbia, 27C (81F) has been exceeded several times this week – the average maximum temperature for late October is 17C (63F).
Drought and dust storms have continued to plague the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales. Winds reached 56mph (90km/h) in Kingaroy, Queensland, last Thursday, generating dense dust storms and reducing visibility to just a few metres. Predictions suggest there is less than six months’ supply of water available in some regions.
