THE year 2015 was probably the hottest since meteorological records began. It certainly ended with a flourish. On North America’s east coast, dreams of a white Christmas were banished by springlike temperatures. In New York, for instance, the mercury hit 22°C (72°F) on Christmas Eve. Europe, too, enjoyed unseasonal warmth. But this was no festive gift, for the warm, moist air that caused it also brought humungous storms.
In South America flooding has forced 130,000 Paraguayans from their homes. In the United States tornadoes before and after Christmas have killed at least 29 people. Thirteen more have drowned in floods caused by a storm that this week tracked across the Atlantic (see map), where it may add to the misery of people in large parts of northern England, who have already been inundated several times this year, the Christmas period included (see article).
As The Economist went to press, forecasters were warning that this storm, dubbed Frank by...Continue reading
Source: Science and technology http://ift.tt/1RRyjpF
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