There have been some notable heavy rainfall and snowfall events recently. Flooding and landslides in south-east Brazil have killed at least 30 people, with a further 17 missing and 2,600 evacuated from their homes. The events followed extreme rainfall on 24 January, with Belo Horizonte receiving 173mm of rain in 24 hours (a quarter of the expected annual rainfall across south-east England). This was their largest daily rainfall total in 110 years of weather records.
Meanwhile in Spain, the effects of Storm Gloria led to 13 deaths last week. The system delivered 86cm of snow over Vilafranca in Valencia on the 22 January. Heavy rain also caused flooding, with some areas of Catalonia receiving more than 150mm of rainfall in 24 hours. Winds from Storm Gloria also generated a wave height of 8.44 metres, the biggest wave ever recorded in the Mediterranean.
Eastern Africa has also had abnormally wet weather. Kenya is experiencing its worst outbreak of locusts in 70 years. Rainfall from mid-October has been 200% above average across the region, where billions of locusts are swarming. Tropical Cyclone Diane also hit Madagascar last week, with 129mm of rain falling on the city of Antsohihy in 24 hours. Flooding has caused 31 deaths and displaced 16,000 people.
• This article was amended on 6 February 2020 because an earlier version incorrectly located Vilafranca as “in the Pyrenees”. The intended reference was to Vilafranca in Valencia, Spain.
