A rare surfing event, The Eddie, took place in Hawaii last week, thanks to some giant waves.
Formed about a week ago in the north Pacific Ocean, the waves emerged as a large low-pressure system produced an exceptionally large swell. They went on to hit Hawaii, enabling The Eddie to take place for just the 11th time in its 40-year history. Named in memory of the champion big-wave surfer and lifeguard Eddie Aikau, the competition requires that waves in Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, where the event is held, top 30ft (9 metres).
The waves went on to hit Peru, leading to three-quarters of the country’s ports closing. By this time the waves were not as big, but still peaking at almost 3 metres (9ft), so had lots of power and energy behind them, causing damage to boats and homes.
Over the weekend, severe thunderstorms and multiple tornadoes touched down in US states including Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, killing at least two people and injuring a further four.
Over 68,000 power outages were recorded in Mississippi alone, with Alabama, Louisiana and Texas also recording about 75,000 outages between them on Saturday. Warnings were extended into more than a dozen states on Sunday, with further severe thunderstorms, damaging wind gusts, isolated tornadoes and hail. Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to clear north-eastwards across the mid-Atlantic region of the US early this week.
Meanwhile in Iceland, temperatures are set to plunge about 15-20C below the climate average this week, with Iceland’s largest utility company, Veitur, stating that restrictions may need to be placed on hot water usage. Under a more northerly regime, daily maximum temperatures will fail to rise above 0C across much of the country. The capital city, Reykjavik, is expecting a maximum temperature of -5C until at least Wednesday, and minimum temperatures could fall to around -15C to -20C each night too, about 10-15C below the climate average for this time of year.
Norway is facing warnings for wind and snow after an area of low pressure moved in from the west last week. As much as 30-60cm of snow is set to fall within 24 hours across the district of Helgeland. Coastal parts of the region can expect brisk winds, with speeds of 40-50mph possible, leading to blizzard conditions.
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Meanwhile in the southern hemisphere, parts of Australia are preparing for temperatures to soar, with heat warnings issued for Queensland and the Northern Territory. Perth residents can expect to swelter in the heat with maximum temperatures into the low 40s on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, which is just over 10C above average.
