2020 Midyear Weather Recap
Andreas Klippe Comments June 12, 2020
Once again we do a weather recap! Climate change has continued to result in unusual and extreme weather all around the world. Let us take a look at the events from the first half of the year. How time flies!
January & February
We start the weather recap on the start of a new decade. January 2020 was the Earth’s hottest month on record. Official data from meteorological agencies worldwide confirm that in 141 years of meteorological record-keeping, land and water temperatures worldwide were at their highest.
The greater part of the continental Europe was 3 degrees celsius warmer. Storm Ciara, however, battered the United Kingdom causing floods, strong rains, and snowfall. The British Isles and Ireland suffered the brunt of the storm and rains reached Northern France.
More than 20,000 people were left without power services. Rainfall measurements show that a month and a half’s worth of rainfall fell in just 24 hours causing widespread flooding. Forced evacuations were implemented while the adverse weather caused extensive travel disruption.
Heat from the start of the year carried over to February. It has become the second warmest February in the world since meteorological record keeping began. Winter surely ended early for the Western world while summer started early in Asia and the Middle East.
March & April
The novel coronavirus or COVID-19 Pandemic interrupted every aspect of society as it spread worldwide. While the pandemic itself is not weather-related, the effects definitely were. The halt on pollution from industrial activities, urban transport, and aviation revealed iconic sceneries that have not been seen in a long time. Reports from all over the world came in awe of the scenery previously covered by smog and pollution giving us a positive spin on the pandemic.
May
Storm Ciara may have been dubbed as the Storm of the Century, but we know that it was too early to say! As we talked about in an earlier blog post, Supercyclone Amphan left the country of Bangladesh and the Eastern portion of India in ruins.
As of writing, both countries have not fully recovered. Amphan was the strongest storm system to come from the Bay of Bengal in 20 years. The super cyclone has also claimed a new record. The $13.5 billion in damages it caused has made it the most economically destructive storm to come from the North Indian Ocean.
Can We Sustain It?
The threat of extreme weather caused by climate change is apparent everywhere. A sudden stop in pollution will not guarantee our safety from climate change. It will take consistent eco-friendly efforts, both big and small, in the new normal to combat climate change.
The challenge is to CREATE and SUSTAIN more environment friendly lifestyles at home and at work in the post-COVID world. Stay safe and flood free!
