Heat, Fire, Dark: World Faces Extreme Weather Fury

Western Australia is currently battling extreme heat and widespread bushfires, with forecasts indicating temperatures will remain above 40C for several days. This follows devastating bushfires in New South Wales earlier this month that destroyed homes and claimed lives. Heatwave warnings have also been extended to parts of South Australia and New South Wales as a high-pressure system moves east.

Elsewhere, Brazil's largest city, São Paulo, suffered a city-wide blackout. Strong winds caused extensive damage to the power grid, bringing down trees and power lines, leaving over a million residents without electricity and disrupting air travel. This extreme weather stands in stark contrast to California's Central Valley, which is mired in unprecedented Tule fog, causing the longest streak of temperatures below 8C in over three decades.

Adding to the global weather extremes, Spain's Canary Islands have been battered by Storm Emilia. Intense rainfall, high winds, and unseasonal snowfall have impacted popular tourist destinations, even leading to the closure of Teide National Park due to deep snow accumulations. While the storm's impact is expected to wane, these diverse weather events highlight a volatile global climate.