Thunderstorms rattled Hong Kong during Easter, causing three days of disruption to air travel, the death of a hiker from a lightning strike and the cancellation of an Ed Sheeran concert.
The storms peaked on Saturday when an area of deep convection spawned increasingly heavy showers, merging into a squally band of thunderstorms as it advanced towards the city. Up to 70mm of rain fell within an hour, and gusts surpassed 60mph. Extraordinarily, 8,938 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were detected over a three-hour period.
Thailand has seen a sweltering start to the summer season, with an oppressive heatwave over the past week. Northern regions experienced maximum temperatures of 40-44C, as opposed to a typical 36C.
A weak El Niño signal is partially responsible for the abnormally hot and dry weather. There is concern that this may be the tip of the iceberg, and fears prolonged periods of scorching heat may lead to water shortages.
Devastating spring floods last weekend in Quebec, Canada, were said to have caused a woman’s death. Mild spring temperatures led to an overspill of the banks of the Chaudière River last week, before an exacerbating 40-50mm of rain fell during the weekend. Beauceville saw the worst floods since 1971, necessitating military assistance.
