Weather Tracker
Refugee camps are bearing the brunt of the deadly Category 5 storm while North America faces temperature disparities
Nicholas Lee and Jodie Woodcock for MetDesk
Monday 15 May 2023 at 11:53am BST
Cyclone Mocha brought high winds and torrential rain to parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday, with refugee camps bearing the brunt of the Category 5 storm that killed at least five and caused the evacuation of half a million people.
The region was rocked by sustained winds exceeding 160 mph as Mocha made landfall, resulting in gusts of nearly 200 mph and a storm surge of up to 4 meters. The world’s largest refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar, was badly hit and more than 1,300 shelters were destroyed. Heavy rain triggered landslides and flooding.
The storm dissipated quickly as it moved inland after losing the warm sea that had fueled it. However, thunderstorms are likely to complicate the rescue and clean-up work in the coming days.
Elsewhere, a severe heat gradient is expected across North America this week, with temperatures 10-15C above the seasonal norm in parts of the Pacific Northwest and western half of Canada.
Warmth in the Northwest could see some weather stations break their monthly temperature records, particularly around Vancouver where temperatures are expected to hit the low 30s Celsius.
In stark contrast, eastern Canada will be about 10°C below average. Temperatures are unlikely to reach double digits as cold air flows south. Resulting daily highs are likely to be a cool 7°C in parts of Quebec.
Farther south, storm activity is likely to ease on the US flats after tornadoes battered some states. Nebraska suffered the brunt of a series of accidents Friday night, though they mostly affected barren farmland.
Still, some farm buildings and homes were damaged by a tornado that swept through Dodge County. Storm activity will ease in the coming days as humidity eases and high pressure builds up from the west.
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