Over the Christmas season, certain areas of South America encountered heavy precipitation and thunderstorms, leading to significant amounts of rainfall in different parts. On Monday, over 100mm of rain poured down on the Catamarca province in Argentina, resulting in flash flooding. As a result of a sudden rise in the levels of river water, a pedestrian bridge connecting Rincón and Pomán collapsed. Although there was damage to other roads and homes in the area, fortunately no deaths were reported.
The distinctive landscape of Catamarca contributed to the creation of a nearly stationary storm over Pomán, resulting in hours of heavy rainfall and leading to devastating floods.
The recent heavy rainfall in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has caused significant damage. The eastern region experienced severe flooding, mudslides, and landslides on Tuesday night. Tragically, 40 fatalities have been reported in Bukavu and nearby areas. Sadly, this comes just days after 20 individuals lost their lives due to similar circumstances in the Mwenga territory of South Kivu.
The north-western region of India has been facing low visibility in recent days. The city of Delhi has been hit the hardest, with visibility dropping to almost zero meters during the 8am to 10am period on Wednesday. Parts of Pakistan also experienced heavy fog on the same day.
Both countries reported significant disruptions to their road, rail, and air networks, as well as numerous serious road incidents. When air is cooled to the dew point, which is the temperature at which water vapor condenses, fog is created, essentially creating a cloud at ground level.
The temperatures in Pakistan and north-west India have been lower than usual, causing the formation of fog. When fog mixes with pollutants, it creates smog. This has been observed in many areas of north-west India, and the air quality has been labeled as very poor by the India Meteorological Department. This could lead to significant health hazards.
On Thursday, Northern Turkey encountered thick fog which resulted in a severe car accident involving seven vehicles, including three buses. The incident resulted in the death of 10 individuals and left 57 others wounded.
Source: theguardian.com
