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Temperature
Extremes
 
High
temperature for the week:
Ralat, Pakistan
119 degrees Fahrenheit |
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Low
temperature for the week:
Vostok (Russia), Antarctica
-110 degrees Fahrenheit
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(top)
Heat
and Smoke
 A
blistering heat wave sweeping much of India has caused forest
fires to spread rapidly, turning large areas into smoldering wastelands.
At least 31,630 acres of pine forests in the northern state of Himachal
Pradesh have been destroyed since the scorching temperatures began.
Weeks of extreme heat have already claimed more than 150 lives across
the Indian subcontinent.
Forest
fires in Indonesia have reached a dangerous level with large
clouds of smoke blowing into the densely populated city-state of Singapore.
The fires prompted concerns that the thick haze that choked parts of
Southeast Asia last year was returning. The smog has become a seasonal
problem during the area’s mid-year dry season, when plantations set
fires as a cheap but illegal way to clear land.
(top)
Tornado
Disasters
 An
outbreak of tornadoes, unprecedented in the history of Oklahoma,
tore through the heart of the state and parts of neighboring Kansas
and Texas.
Disaster
officials reported that the twisters claimed at least 44 lives, including
38 in Oklahoma, five in Kansas and one in Texas. Nearly 900 people were
also injured. More than 4,000 homes were destroyed by the twisters’
winds of up to 260 mph. Three additional victims were killed by a string
of tornadoes in Tennessee later in the week.
(top)
Earthquakes
 Several
ancient buildings and homes were damaged after a magnitude 4.7 earthquake
struck the city of Khonj in southern Iran.
Earth
movements were also felt in Russia’s Lake Baikal region, northern
Japan, south-central Alaska, Peru’s southern coast
and around San Diego, California.
(top)
Tropical
Storm
 Tropical
storm Leo dissipated off the coast of China after buffeting the
territory of Hong Kong with gale-force winds and heavy rain.
Public
transportation was curtailed during the passage of the storm, and ferry
service to outlying islands and the neighboring Portuguese enclave of
Macao was temporarily suspended.
(top)
Late
Winter Chill
 Winter
returned unexpectedly to Moscow, claiming one life and leaving
seven other people hospitalized.
The Russian
capital was hit with near-freezing temperatures and hailstorms during
two days of freak, late-winter conditions. One homeless person froze
to death and officials reported that seven others had to be treated
for frost bite. During the last week of April, trees around Moscow had
begun to bloom as temperatures reached 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
(top)
Killer
Bee Attack
 A
teenager was killed and his brother hospitalized in central Mexico
after being stung by Africanized honey bees during a religious ceremony.
Hundreds
of people had gathered on a hill in the Morelos town of Tlayacapan for
the annual ceremony to celebrate Santa Cruz day when the insect attack
occurred. The latest incident marked the second time in a month that
the killer bees had attacked humans in Morelos.
(top)
Eruptions
 Indonesia’s
Mount Slamet Volcano spewed black smoke from its crater, prompting the
Central Java government to warn local residents to remain clear of the
11,250-foot mountain. The volcano last erupted in 1988 when it belched
lava and rained ash over a wide area.
Montserrat’s
Soufriere Hills Volcano exploded for the second time in less than a
week with a plume of ash soaring high into the eastern Caribbean sky.
The latest volcanic activity prompted fresh warnings from the Washington,
D.C.-based Volcanic Ash Advisory Center about the potential for increased
activity.
(top)
Frog
Capital
 Sri
Lanka has leap-frogged to become the world’s top nation for frogs,
pushing previous record-holder Costa Rica into second place.
During
a five-year global study by the Wildlife Heritage Trust, researchers
discovered 200 new species of frogs previously unknown to science, and
confirmed that Sri Lanka had the highest concentration of frog species.
That nation has about 3.9 species of frogs per 400 square miles, and
approximately 10 percent of the world’s total frog species.
(top)
Additional
Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency, U.S. Climate Analysis Center,
U.S. Earthquake Information Center and the World Meteorological Organization.
Distributed
by the Los Angeles
Times Syndicate.
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