World News

Tropical Storm Roke by Elizabeth Saary

With all the attention that has been given to Ingrid in recent days, it is worth remembering that this was not the only storm causing problems. Tropical storm Roke which cut a swathe through the Philippines recently was not as strong but nevertheless managed to cause quite a bit of damage and loss of life.

The storm began life in the Pacific Ocean just to the east of the Philippines. There it gradually gained strength as it headed towards the archipelago. As it tore across the islands it brought down trees and caused damage to buildings. At least seven people are known to have died so far – mainly from falling debris or drowning – and many more are still missing. The storm has now left the Philippines and is weakening over the South China Sea, but it will continue to be monitored for signs of regeneration

The storm was unusual as it occurred during the dry season in the Philippines. Most of their tropical storms occur during the wet summer months from June to October when there is more energy from the sun.

The weather has also been rather unusual across Europe. Temperatures for many have been close to average summer values rather than the start of Spring. On Thursday, Porto in Portugal recorded a high of 28C. The March average here is just 16C. Budapest in Hungary also saw values well above their 10C March average. The top temperature here on Thursday was 24C.

Not everywhere in Europe had the warmth though. Cold winds kept the temperature in Helsinki, Finland down at -5C on Thursday compared to the March average of 1C. If we head north into the Arctic Circle it’s even colder – the temperature in Svalbard, an island to the north of Norway, dropped to -24C last night. This is 9C below the seasonal average.