Latest news with #weatherpatterns
Zawya
22-07-2025
- General
- Zawya
Strengthening vulnerability analysis to tackle food insecurity in Southern Africa
Food insecurity in Southern Africa is worsening, driven by erratic weather patterns, pest outbreaks, and economic shocks. An estimated 46.3 million people across seven countries -Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, South Africa and Tanzania— are projected to fate acute food insecurity during the 20205/26 consumption period. As shocks intensify, timely and harmonized vulnerability assessments remain critical to inform early action, response planning, and policy development. To this end, representatives from 11 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States, joined by regional and international partners including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Regional Support Unit, gathered virtually from 14 to 16 July 2025 for the Annual Dissemination Forum of the SADC Regional Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (RVAA) Programme. The event was followed by the 29th Steering Committee meeting on 17 July 2025. Despite data collection and budgetary challenges, seven Member States successfully completed their national assessments and presented findings at the forum. These findings contributed to the finalization of the 2025 Regional Synthesis Report on the State of Food and Nutrition Security in SADC, validated by the Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee (RVAC). The report highlights a concerning uptick in food insecurity, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and low-income urban areas, underscoring the compounded impact of the 2024 El Niño-induced drought, ongoing conflict, and high food prices. At the same time, the region experienced normal to above-normal rainfall in many areas during the 2024/25 season, supporting a modest recovery in cereal production and grazing conditions, particularly in countries like Tanzania, Lesotho and Eswatini. FAO's technical support and way forward As a long-standing partner of the RVAA system, FAO continues to support Member States in enhancing the quality and use of vulnerability assessments. This includes contributing technical expertise to the Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee, promoting alignment with IPC frameworks, and strengthening links between data and early action. Looking ahead, FAO will continue engaging with SADC Member States and partners to improve the quality and coverage of vulnerability assessments across the region. This includes supporting harmonization of tools and methodologies, promoting digital data collection systems, and fostering cross-country learning and peer-to-peer exchange. FAO is committed to working alongside the SADC Secretariat to strengthen the institutional sustainability of the RVAA programme and integrate early warning into broader disaster risk management systems. The outcomes of the 29th Steering Committee meeting reaffirm the urgency of accelerating investment in regional food security analysis. The Committee called for renewed efforts to mobilize resources for the upcoming landscape analysis of existing national frameworks, which will inform the development of a harmonized vulnerability assessment framework for the SADC region by 2026. FAO will remain a key technical partner in this process, offering expertise to ensure that the proposed framework is scalable, inclusive, and responsive to the complex drivers of vulnerability facing Southern Africa today. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Weather pattern flips hit Canada's summer for July and August
Summer weather has been sporadic so far across Canada. Parts of the country have already experienced record heat, drought, devastating wildfires and widespread smoke. Meanwhile, other areas are still waiting for consistent warm weather. However, mid-June has featured a dramatic pattern reversal. Much cooler spring-like conditions have returned to areas that have already endured record breaking heat. Meanwhile the areas that have been waiting for warmth are seeing a sudden flip to mid-summer-like heat. Will summer continue to play hide and seek, with dramatic but temporary appearances or will we finally settle into a more consistent pattern? Please read on for an update on what we expect during the months of July and August across Canada. RELATED: The official first day of summer is Friday June 20th. However, the first week of summer will be a tale of two seasons across Canada. The graphic below shows the temperature anomalies that we expect for the first official week of summer. The various shades of blue highlight cooler than normal temperatures, which will be widespread from southern B.C. to Labrador. This region will feel more like spring for several days with single-digit high temperatures for parts of the Prairies this weekend and substantial snow for alpine regions in the Rockies. However, across northwestern Canada and from the Great Lakes to the Maritimes, hot weather will dominate during the first week of summer. This will include a couple of days of record-breaking heat and humidity across southern and northeastern Ontario and southern Quebec. However, this pattern will be temporary. During the final days of June and the first week of July, we expect that the focus of heat will slowly shift back to western Canada, while Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada will trend cooler—closer to seasonal. While the weather will still be changeable at times, we expect that this will become the dominant pattern for most of July and August and even into the first half of September. So, despite the chilly start to the season, we still expect a very hot summer across the Prairies and the interior of B.C. From Ontario to Atlantic Canada, temperatures will be more changeable, with some hot days, but there will be periods of cooler weather as well. We certainly can't rule out another heat wave later in the summer, but we do not expect consistent heat during July. Daytime temperatures are expected to balance out to near normal, but warmer nights (due to higher than normal humidity) will cause parts of the region to tip warmer than normal overall. The more changeable conditions across eastern Canada will also be associated with a more frequent threat of showers and thunderstorms, which should result in near-normal or above-normal precipitation totals for most of the region. While western Canada is seeing much-needed (and even excessive) rain during June, we expect that a much drier pattern will return for July and August. Keep in mind that below-normal precipitation does not mean that there won't be any rain or storms. Thunderstorms with localized torrential rain will still occur, but the storms will be less frequent and less widespread than what we typically see during summer. Unfortunately, below-normal rain totals in combination with warmer-than-normal temperatures can have a negative impact on agriculture and result in an increasing wildfire danger. And, as we have already seen this year, smoke from wildfires can spread across most of Canada and impact places that are experiencing a much cooler and wetter summer. Click here to view the video
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Air quality expected to improve as rain moves through southern Alberta
Shift in weather patterns leads to some rain. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.
CBC
24-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
From lingering cold to early heat, Canadians sick of lousy spring weather
Canadians across the country are expressing frustration with unusual spring weather, from unseasonably cold temperatures in central and eastern Canada to premature heat in parts of the West.
