29 April 2024
Kenya Rail Embankment Failure
April 28th 2024. According to The Nation, Heavy rains in the Rift Valley led to build up of water behind a rail embankment and blocked culvert in Mai Mahiu. The embankment subsequently failed with a flash flood impacting downstream villages and leading to 48 fatalities. Initial reports of the failure of a nearby dam were incorrect. Learnings relate to risk around unplanned storage of water and culvert sizing.
19 April 2024
Dubai Floods
April 16th 2024. Record rainfall with event totals of 160mm recorded at Dubai Airport and major impacts to the city and infrastructure. Records go back 75 years. According to the UAE media office, 254.8mm was the highest 24 hour total just east of Al-Ain around the Khatm-al-Shakla border post. 18 deaths occurred in Oman in flash floods. Reports that the floods were caused by cloud seeding were not founded in truth according to experts globally (Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, University of Reading in the UK, and Monash University, Australia).
13 April 2024
Extraordinary Perth Rainfall
April 12th, 2024. Thunderstorm activity saw extraordinary rainfall intensity in the Clarkson area in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Rainfall totals exceeded 100mm at 4 locations with the bulk of the rainfall happening in 30 minutes around lunchtime. 5 minute totals included 25mm (300mm/hr.) and 40mm (480mm/hr.) at separate, unofficial sites. Significant local flooding resulted.
11 April 2024
Alpine Glacial Retreat
April 10th 2024. 92/93 Glaciers monitored by the Austrian Alpine club retreated in 2023 accoring to their latest survey, released yesterday. 79 measured glaciers were on average 23.9 metres shorter in 2023 than 2022. Switzerland has also reported 4% of it’s total glacial volume disappeared in 2023.
15 March 2024
Brisbane Overnight Temperature
March 15th, 2024. Bureau of Meteorology. Brisbane recorded 74 nights above 20°C before the minimum dropped. This broke the previous record, set in 1978, of 59 days.
11 March 2024
Hobart Overnight Temperature Confusion
March 10th, 2024. Bureau of Meteorology. The overnight temperature in Hobart (9-10th) was reported in the media to be the hottest for 112 years. Official records show a discrepancy. The March record minimum of 21.1 (March, 1906) and the overall minimum record of 24.7 °C, set in February 1912 remain. The discrepancy is due to timing. Temperatures above 26°C were recorded overnight in Hobart but by about 6am on 10th March, the temperature had started to fall meaning in the 24 hours to 9am, the minimum was 16.9°C.
1 March 2024
Whakaari White Island Judgement
The sentencing and judgement into the Whakaari White Island eruption contains learnings on the application of monitoring and managing natural hazard risk in so far as reasonably practicable. (SFARP). Key learnings relate to training, communication and systems testing.
UK February Temperature Records
March 1st 2024. UK Met Office. England and Wales had the warmest February in a record kept since 1884. Considering the whole UK, February was the second warmest, with four of the top ten occurring in the last five years. 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2019. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2024/february-2024-warm-and-wet-for-the-uk
18 February 2024
Carnarvon (WA) Temperature Record
February 18th, 2024. A maximum temperature of 49.9°C was recorded at Carnarvon Airport on 18th February. This broke the previous record of 47.7°C by 2.2 degrees, set on on both 20th January 2015 and 6th March 2007. The old February record was 46.9°C on 9th February 1984. Continuous temperature records commenced at Carnarvon Airport in September 1948.
2 February 2024
New Wind Speed Records In Norway and Sweden
February 2nd, 2024. Storm Ingunn. Provisional new records set for sustained winds in Norway and Sweden on February 1st. In Norway, 54m/s (121.6 mph) was recorded at Kvaløyfjellet in Sømna. Data sourced by Norsk Climate Centre. In Sweden, a sustained 10 minute wind speed of 51.8m/s was recorded in Stekenjokk. Data sourced from Finnish Meteorological Institute.
31 January 2024
Brisbane – 250mm in 90 Minutes
January 30th, 2024. 250mm in 90 minutes was recorded at multiple Bureau flood warning stations in the South Pine River catchment, immediately north of Brisbane, Queensland. A major riverine flash flood event resulted along Four Mile Creek causing significant damage. The day prior had seen a record precipitable water value of 70.8mm at Brisbane Airport according to the Aerological Diagram, sourced form the Bureau of Meteorology. Intense rainfall also impacted the Caboolture River catchment to the north.
30 November 2023
French Floods Re-write Response Plans
30th November 2023. Several catchments in northern France have seen flood peaks exceed the previous record multiple times in a single month. As an example, the Laine River, near Boulogne, exceeded the previous 2012 peak 4 times in November (Record back to 1970). The new maximum discharge of 68m3/s is 20% greater than the 2012 value. The catchment is about 250km2. The associated rain gauge at Wirwignes (62896001, record back to 1988) achieved new records for every duration examined from 1-14 days during November. According to Meteo France, such rain accumulations have only been seen once before in the Pas De Calais. The ongoing disaster meant response plans required revision given the lengthy impact on utilities and services, even for those not directly flooded. €50 Million has been allocated to assist by the French Government, and €11.6 million provided by the EU. The French Public reinsurer estimates the cost of the floods to be €640 Million.
29 September 2023 | New York Post
JFK Airport was walloped with 7.97 inches of rain on 29 September 2023 — a new daily record dating back to 1948.
28 September 2023 | BBC
In just two years, Switzerland’s glaciers have lost 10% of their total volume – as much as they lost in the three decades between 1960 and 1990.
11 September 2023 | The Guardian
Forecasters said there had never been a September heatwave on record as long-lived as this year’s episode.
11 August 2023 | Washington Post
Hurricane Dora travels from off the African coast, across Central America and transitions to a typhoon.
3 August 2023
Beijing Flash Floods
August 3rd, 2023. Beijing Meteorological Observatory. 111.8mm of rain fell in the Fengtai district of Beijing between 10 and 11 am on the 31st July, part of the heaviest rainfall for 140 years in the city, with a total of 603.6mm recorded in the urban area, in Fengtai. 744.8mm was the event maximum within the city limits at Wangjiayuan Reservoir. The previous record rain event total was 609mm from 1891 although it’s unclear at which location this record occurred. The rainfall was caused by Ex-Typhoon Doksuri.
3 July 2023 | BBC
The UK had the hottest June on record, the Met Office has confirmed.
1 March 2022
Enoggera Dam – Unusual Loading
March 1st, 2022. Brisbane. The Enoggera Reservoir peak lake level of 81.39mAHD in February 2022, had a flood loading just shy of 1:10000 Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) (1:10000 AEP level listed as 81.4mAHD) according to the approved Emergency Action Plan. Rainfall frequency assessments for the catchment indicate the 2022 event was between a 1:200 and 1:500 AEP representing a discrepancy between the flood frequency and rainfall frequency.
