Over the Christmas season, certain areas in South America encountered heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, leading to significant precipitation in multiple regions. On Monday, the Catamarca province in Argentina received over 100mm of rain, resulting in flash floods. The sudden rise in river water levels caused a pedestrian bridge, the sole connection between Rincón and Pomán, to collapse. Although numerous roads were affected and homes were inundated, there were no fatalities reported.
The distinct landscape of Catamarca contributed to the creation of a nearly motionless convective shower above Pomán, resulting in several hours of heavy rainfall and leading to disastrous flooding.
The recent heavy rainfall in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has caused significant damage to the eastern region. On Tuesday evening, strong downpours caused flooding, mudslides, and landslides. As of now, 40 fatalities have been reported in Bukavu and nearby regions. This unfortunate event occurred less than a week after 20 individuals lost their lives due to similar weather conditions in the Mwenga territory of South Kivu.
The north-western region of India has been facing low visibility in recent days. The city of Delhi has been significantly impacted, with visibility dropping to almost zero meters from 8am to 10am on Wednesday. Portions of Pakistan were also heavily affected by the thick fog on the same day.
Both countries experienced significant disruptions to their road, rail, and air networks, as well as multiple serious road incidents. Fog occurs when the temperature of the air drops to the dew point, causing water vapor to condense and create a cloud at ground level.
The temperatures in Pakistan and north-west India have been below average, which has led to the formation of fog. When fog mixes with pollutants, it creates smog. This has been observed in many areas of north-west India, causing the air quality to be labeled as very poor by the India Meteorological Department. This could have negative effects on people’s health.
On Thursday, there was thick fog in Northern Turkey which resulted in a significant car accident involving seven vehicles, including three buses. Sadly, 10 people were killed and 57 others were injured.
Source: theguardian.com
