Parts of the south-east of the US have faced a combination of drought and strong gusts of up to 80mph, culminating in intense wildfires. The Great Smoky Mountains national park, in Tennessee, and North Carolina, have been particularly badly affected. At least three people this week were reported to be in a critical condition from severe burns.
Tens of thousands of people have been left without power, and the city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, was ordered to evacuate, with dozens of buildings succumbing to the inferno.
Meanwhile, in central America, several countries have been hit by the very unusual Hurricane Otto. Otto took an atypical path; it crossed the Caribbean into the Pacific, becoming the first ever hurricane to strike Costa Rica. In total at least 22 people were reported killed across Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Three days of national mourning have been declared in Costa Rica, which has also suffered damage estimated at more than US$20m.
As the UK got an early taste of winter, parts of north and west Saudi Arabia experienced some unusually cold temperatures, with the mercury plummeting to -3C (26.6F) at some locations. The relatively frigid temperatures were accompanied by a rare covering of snow, turning the desert into a winter wonderland. Normally, at this time of the year, a balmy 20C (68F) is the average maximum temperature there.
