Events

Madagascar has been hit by a series of devastating storms in just one month: Tropical Storm Ana (22 January), Tropical Cyclone Batsirai (5 February), Tropical Storm Dumako (16 February) and Tropical Cyclone Emnati (23 February) killed a total of 205 people and displaced thousands.

Landslides and flooding caused by torrential rains have killed at least 15 people in south-eastern Brazil. The victims died between Sunday and Tuesday in Minas Gerais state, where rivers have overflowed, leaving towns partially submerged.

While many areas of northern and eastern parts of the state are recovering from the widespread flooding that began in late February, heavy rain caused flash flooding in the far west of New South Wales (NSW) on 15 March 2022.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said “26mm of rain fell in 30 minutes at Broken Hill with thunderstorms earlier this afternoon. Heavy rainfall is likely with slow moving storms over western NSW. A severe thunderstorm warning is in place.”

An eruption at the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge, comprising the southern half of the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, lasted from 19 September to 13 December 2021. It was the first volcanic eruption on the island since the eruption of Teneguía in 1971

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake hit at a depth of 18.5 kilometers (11.5 miles) under the sea, and was located 112 kilometers (74 miles) north of the town of Maumere, the second-largest on the island in East Nusa Tenggara province with a population of 85,000.

On 25 February 2022, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck West Sumatra, Indonesia. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at a depth of 4.9 kilometres (3.0 mi) and had an epicenter in Pasaman. At least 19 people died, 425 were injured, and four others were missing.

Widespread floods affected 22 municipalities of North-West, North, North-East and Nippes Departments over the past few days, resulting in an increasing number of casualties. According to the Haitian Civil Protection, five people have died (three in North-West, one in North-East and one in North), and one person is missing in North-West.

The recent spate of flooding began after heavy rainfall from 17 December 2021. Kapar in Klang district of Selangor recorded 316 mm of rain in 24 hours to 18 December 2021. In Pahang state, Pekan recorded 364.5 mm and Kuantan 405 mm during the same period. As of 20 December, rivers were above the danger level in 19 locations in Pahang, 6 locations in Selangor and 4 locations in Kelantan.

On 18 January 2022, a series of floods occurred in northern Madagascar, especially around the Antananarivo area, where 11 people were killed. The floods were caused by heavy rainfall, with rainfall totals of up to 226 mm falling during the night of 17-18 January.

The heavy rainfall that occurs since Thursday night (6 January 2022) have caused the flash flood and landslides in Jayapura. Severe affected areas are Jayapura Utara, Jayapura Selatan, Entrop, Abepura, Heram and Muara Tami. The flood also hit Aryoko Hospital, Yotefa Market, and the Governor’s office.

The state of São Paulo was hit by heavy summer rains that affected with greater severity the metropolitan area of the state capital. Between January 29 and 30, it rained from 80 mm to 170 mm in several areas of the central and eastern parts of the state. The 4-day accumulation was very close to the historical monthly average of rainfall.

Intense rainfall in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil caused mudslides and flooding that destroyed parts of the city. At least 231 people died in the disaster.
The city of Petrópolis received an unusually high amount of rain within three hours, 258 millimetres (10.2 in). This was more than the prior 30 days combined, and the worst the city had seen since 1932.

Disaster authorities in Malawi report that at least 4 people have died as a result of heavy rain brought by Cyclone Gombe.

Malawi Red Cross Society said via Social Media, “Some families have been rendered destitute after the Cyclone Gombe affected some districts with devastating scenes in Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Mulanje and Machinga.”

According to country's disaster management agency at least 14 people were killed and 35 injured after a landslide covered several homes in central Colombia. The incident in Dosquebradas, close to the city of Pereira, followed heavy rains in the surrounding coffee-growing province.

Heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides have affected Ecuador, particularly Guayas, Cotopaxi, El Oro and Los Ríos, since rains started on 28 January 2022. According to the Quito Municipality's local authorities, flooding struck in western parts of the city after 75 mm of rain fell in a short period during the afternoon of 31 January 2022. This is the highest rainfall intensity seen since 2003.

On December 30, 2021, shortly before 10:30 a.m. MST, a grass fire broke out in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The large fire was named the Marshall Fire by local fire authorities. In terms of structures lost, it was the most destructive fire in Colorado history.

An eruption of Mount Semeru, a volcano in the East Java province of the Indonesian island of Java, began on 4 December 2021. The eruption began after heavy precipitation caused the collapse of the lava dome at the summit. Pyroclastic flows and lahars damaged at least 5,205 homes and several public buildings.

Intense Tropical Cyclone Batsirai was a deadly tropical cyclone which heavily impacted Madagascar, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Madagascar since Cyclone Enawo in 2017. It made landfall two weeks after Tropical Storm Ana brought deadly floods to the island country in late January.

Tropical Cyclone Gombe made landfall on 11 March in Mossuril district, Nampula province. Gombe hit Mozambique as a Category 3 cyclone with heavy rains (200mm/24h) and strong winds (150-185km/h). The cyclone heavily affected the provinces of Nampula and Zambezia, and to a lesser extent Sofala, Beira, Tete, and Niassa provinces.

Tropical storm Ana made landfall in Angoche district, Nampula province on 24 January and subsequently headed westwards, affecting the northern part of Zambezia province and the southern part of Tete province.