Weatherwatch: deadly tornadoes hit US while Cuba has hottest day.

Four twisters hit Mississippi while Cuban town of Veguitas has hottest day on record.

In the space of a week in April, Mississippi, US, was hit by four separate tornadoes. Three of these occurred on Easter Sunday and brought damaging winds reaching 190mph. These left one person dead and another injured, as well as damaging many homes and mobile homes. A week later, on 19 April, another tornado brought winds of up to 170mph to southern Mississippi, creating a total of 227 miles of damage through the state in the course of a week.

Records were broken last week when, on 25 April, a tropical depression formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean, almost three weeks before the official start of the eastern Pacific hurricane season. The depression occurred far out at sea, south-west of Mexico, and didn’t make landfall. However, this is the earliest ever recorded formation of a tropical depression in the ocean basin since records began in 1966.

Another record was broken this month when Cuba recorded its highest temperature since records began. On 12 April temperatures reached 39.3C in the town of Veguitas. This was mainly due to a strong high pressure system and light winds allowing for heat to become trapped at the surface. The previous record had been 39.1 degrees, recorded last year on 30 June.

29 April 2020

The Guardian