Extreme weather strikes on opposite sides of globe in Brazil, Texas, Vietnam & Indonesia

Extreme weather strikes four different regions of the globe.

Floods, landslides and searing heat have claimed lives, destroyed property and broke records in yet another instance of the ongoing climate emergency.

The Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil, bordering Argentina and Uruguay, has witnessed its worst floods in 80 years, according to the Brazilian Geological Service, reported news agency Associated Press (AP).
A total of 75 people have died in the state so far, the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul stated at 12 pm on May 5. Another 6 deaths are under investigation. At least 103 people are missing and another 155 are injured.

Further, Houston in Texas, the Fourth Largest city of the United States, was flooded due to heavy rainfall.

Extreme weather events were also reported in the southeast Asian country of Vietnam.
The country broke at least a 100 heat records. Temperatures peaked at 44 degrees Celsius in two towns last week. Even hotter weather is expected this month according to the country’s weather agency.

The most dramatic sign of the extreme weather hitting Vietnam came in the southern province of Dong Nai, where hundreds of thousands of fish died in a reservoir.

Similar extreme weather episodes were recently reported from the Indian subcontinent as well. The Gangetic region of West Bengal and the coastal state of Kerala also reported some unusually extreme heat waves, over the past few days.

#brazil #indonesia #vietnam #texas #flood #heatwaves
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Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.