Extreme weather has caused at least 40 fatalities across parts of the US through the past week, with a variety of hazards including tornadoes, dust storms, and wildfires across the midwest and south. More than 300 tornado warnings were issued by the US National Weather Service (NWS) between Friday and Saturday. By Wednesday, the NWS had confirmed a total of 109 tornadoes, with almost 1,000 reports of large hail and strong thunderstorm wind gusts. Missouri recorded 12 fatalities on Friday as a result, with a further dozen deaths in Texas and Kansas. In Mississippi, at least 200 people were displaced and six people died resulting from more than 10 tornadoes across three counties.
By Sunday, more than 320,000 people were left without power, with about 75,000 still without power in Pennsylvania and Missouri on Monday. Nearly 1,100 flights were cancelled as a result of this extreme weather.
Wind-driven wildfires also tore through parts of Texas and Oklahoma, with authorities reporting 130 fires had been recorded across Oklahoma alone – burning through about 70,000 hectares (170,000 acres). According to Oklahoma’s department of emergency management, more than 400 homes were damaged as wildfires swept across the state. Oklahoma’s chief medical examiner also said at least four people had died as a result of the fires or high winds.
In Italy, torrential rainfall recently caused widespread flooding and landslides, prompting red alerts in cities including Florence, Pisa and Bologna, and across the Tuscany region. From Friday 14 March to Sunday 16 March, regions including Florence experienced rainfall levels that were double the average of 61mm for the month of March, with over 53mm falling in just 6 hours on Friday morning alone. This intense downpour caused previously swollen rivers across the region to overflow and resulted in rapid flooding. As a result, schools were closed, streets became impassable, and many people had to be evacuated.
The severe rainfall was caused by a “blocking high” pressure system that dominated over the north-east Atlantic, acting as a barrier to low pressure systems, which normally move north-west of the UK, to be diverted through the Mediterranean.
