The US has experienced its first significant winter storm of the season. The “nor’easter” storm system brought a widespread mixture of rain, sleet, snow and even freezing rain to parts of the north-east last Thursday. New York had up to 6in (15cm) of snowfall – the most in November since 1882. The timing of the storm during the evening rush hour meant many roads were gridlocked with 8,000 flights delayed and more than1,000 cancelled. Nor’easters are commoneach winter but it is unusual for them to occur in November.
While winter has arrived early in parts of the US, Iceland has been experiencing a late taste of summer. A very mild air mass and föhn winds have led to weekend temperatures 10-15C (50-59F)warmer than normal, with maximum values of 18-19C recorded in some of the lowlands on Sunday.
Gaja, a tropical cyclone, made landfall in Tamil Nadu, India, on Friday with a wind speed of 85mph (137km/h) and gusts exceeding 100mph. It also brought heavy rain to the region,causing flooding and landslides that claimed the lives of at least 45 people.
