2nd

At least 20 people have been killed in central Peru after heavy rains sparked a mudslide that engulfed a small village. The mudslide struck the village in the Huanuco region. At least another 25 people are reportedly missing. At least 120 homes had been damaged or destroyed. The deadly mudslide was the second in as many days in Peru. On Thursday, five people were killed in the town of Cancejos.

4th

Scotland’s ski resorts are enjoying one of their busiest Easter seasons on record and – weather permitting – some centres could stay open into May.

7th

Rains began pelting Rio de Janeiro again early Wednesday, hours after the heaviest deluge on record sent killer mudslides cascading down hillsides and turned streets into raging torrents in Brazil’s second-biggest city. Authorities feared the added water could dislodge more saturated ground and raise the death toll from 95 in Rio and the neighbouring city of Niteroi. Most of the deaths came when landslides smashed over shacks in slums built precariously on steep slopes. Rio ground to a near halt as Mayor Eduardo Paes urged workers to stay home and ordered all schools closed. Most businesses were closed. 28cm of rain drenched Rio in less than 24 hours on the 6th, and the forecast called for more rain through the weekend, though it was expected to lessen.

The BBC is considering dumping Britain’s Met Office as the public broadcaster’s main weather forecaster and hiring one from New Zealand instead.The state-owned Met Office has come under fire in the past year for its inaccurate long-term forecasts for Britain.It infamously predicted a “barbecue summer” for Britain in 2009 which turned out to be a washout, before incorrectly forecasting a “mild” winter that instead saw the nation blanketed in snow.The BBC has relied on the Met Office for almost 90 years to provide it with forecasts but is now considering switching to New Zealand’s national forecaster, Metra.

A panel of governmental, academic and non-profit scientists speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) unveiled research suggesting that diseases found in dolphins are similar to human diseases and can provide clues into how human health might be affected by exposure to contaminated coastal water or seafood.

“Dolphins and humans are both mammals, and their diet includes much of the same seafood that we consume. Unlike us, however, they are exposed to potential ocean health threats such as toxic algae or poor water quality 24 hours a day,” said Carolyn Sotka of the NOAA and lead organizer of the session. “Our ecological and physiological similarities make dolphins an important ‘sentinel species’ to not only warn us of health risks, but also provide insight into how our health can benefit from new medical discoveries.” 

According to a recent review and evaluation conducted by a panel of experts in charge of global weather and climate extremes within the WMO Commission for Climatology (CCl), the new record wind gust, not related to tornados, registered to date is 408 kilometres per hour. This record occurred during Tropical Cyclone Olivia on 10 April 1996 on Barrow Island, Australia. The previous record was of 372 kilometres per hour, registered in April 1934 across the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire (USA).

Three more Egyptians died in flooding in the southern Sinai Desert, bringing the toll for three days of unseasonably heavy rains to 10. The arid region is unused to heavy rains which cause flash floods that can destroy homes and carry off livestock. Heavy wind and rains swept through parts of Egypt, Israel and Jordan on Monday, sweeping away homes, knocking out power lines and cutting roads. One motorist died in Israel and 10 died in Egypt, including a British tourist whose boat capsized as he was sailing along the Nile in southern Egypt

Israelis headed for the beach at the weekend to enjoy a winter heatwave, with temperatures rising into the high 20s as much of northern Europe shivered in a cold snap.

Extremely cold weather across northern Europe has left scores of people dead and caused widespread transport chaos.

Temperatures as low as minus 22 degrees Celsius have led to the deaths of 122 people in Poland, with the main river, the Vistula, now frozen over and causing fears of flooding.

In the Swiss Alps, avalanches have killed at least seven people, while in western France, 14 regions have been hit by heavy snow.

Severe weather warnings are still in place across the UK, which is in the grip of its longest cold snap in 30 years.

The military was called in after around 1,000 vehicles were stranded when more than 40 centimetres of snow blocked the A3 highway overnight.

Authorities in southern Britain have warned motorists to only use their vehicles if absolutely necessary.

Thousands of schools have been closed and around half the UK workforce stayed home, which is said to have cost the economy $1 billion in lost output.

Around 5,000 homes in Sussex are still without power as the country suffers through the cold snap, which is expected to last at least another week.