Severe flooding has impacted parts of Saudi Arabia following a red rainfall warning issued by the National Centre for Meteorology last week. The most affected regions are in the north, including Hail, al-Qassim, and the northern part of Ash Sharqiyah.
Heavy showers from the west brought high rainfall, hailstorms, and lightning. Normally, these areas receive 10-15mm of rain in December over several days, but recent forecasts predicted up to 50mm of rainfall by early Saturday morning.
In Buraydah, al-Qassim, significant flooding and hail accumulation have been reported. Videos show vehicles navigating through floodwaters or getting trapped in hail as it accumulates.
Meanwhile, Canada is experiencing unusually high temperatures, with many regions 5°C above average this week.
Canada experiences record-breaking warmth, with temperatures up to 20°C above seasonal averages.In Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, daytime temperatures could be 20°C higher than usual. For instance, Thompson in Manitoba, typically -20.6°C in December, may reach -2°C early this week.
Southern British Columbia has already broken temperature records, with highs of 12.9°C on December 27 surpassing a 1922 record. Vancouver set a new record of 14°C on December 29, and by December 31, at least 22 records had been tied or broken, according to Environment Canada.
In Europe, the Dutch Meteorological Service (KNMI) has reported that 2023 was the warmest and potentially wettest year in the Netherlands since records began in 1901.
The average national temperature was 11.8°C, and precipitation totaled 1,060mm, nearly 300mm above average. Despite the high rainfall, the year was also notably sunny, with an extra 136 hours of sunshine.