The weather in 2009 is predicted to be affected by El Nino. The Met Office predict that Europe's summer will be warmer and drier than average, as a result of anticyclone development.[1]
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On January 3, an intense thunderstorm killed 18 people and affected roughly 2,000 residences in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Homes were severely damaged and the storm was described as the "worst in living memory".[2]
In March, severe drought was present throughout Somalia, resulting in the deaths of many animals.[3]
During the first two weeks of March, severe flooding in Angola, affecting an estimated 125,000 people and killing livestock.[3]
In late March and early April, the worst flooding recorded since 1966 on the Zambezi River affected over 1 million people in Zambia and Namibia. At least 92 people were killed by the flooding in Namibia.[4]
Between April 12 and 15, severe flooding affected parts of Burundi, causing significant infrastructural damage.[4]
The Black Saturday bushfires,[5] were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday 7 February 2009 during extreme bushfire-weather conditions, resulting in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire.[6] A total of 173 people are confirmed to have died in the fires[7][8] with around 500 injured. As many as 400 individual fires were recorded on 7 February by both the Country Fire Authority and the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The 7th of February 2009 is now referred to as Black Saturday.
The southeastern Australia heat wave was a heat wave that commenced in late January and led to record-breaking prolonged high temperatures in the region. Adelaide and Melbourne broke records for the most consecutive days over 40 °C (104 °F), with Melbourne surpassing 46 °C (115 °F) and Adelaide reaching over 45 °C (113 °F). Many locations through the region reached all-time high temperatures. Adelaide reached its third-highest temperature, while Melbourne reached its highest temperature on record. The heat wave is predicted to be the worst in the region's history.[9] During the heat wave, 50 separate locations set various records for consecutive, highest daytime and overnight temperatures.
Klaus was a European windstorm or cyclone which made landfall over large parts of central and southern France, Spain, Andorra and parts of Italy. The storm was the most damaging since Lothar in December 1999[10]. The storm caused widespread damage across France and Spain, especially in northern Spain. Twenty-seven fatalities were recorded,[11] as well as extensive disruptions to public transport and power supplies, with approximately 1.7 million homes in southwest France and tens of thousands of homes in Spain experiencing power cuts. Severe damage to property and major forest damage was caused[12]. Peak gusts were over 200 km/h; sustained winds of over 170 km/h (110 mph) were observed, which are hurricane-force winds.
The snowfall across western Europe was a prolonged period of snowfall that began on 1 February 2009. Some areas experienced their largest snowfall levels in 18 years.[13] Snow fell over much of Western Europe[14]. The United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann issued severe weather warnings in anticipation of the snowfall. More than 25 centimetres (10 in) of snow fell on parts of the North Downs and over 15 centimetres (6 in) in parts of the London area.[15] Such snow accumulation is uncommon in London.[16] On the morning of 6 February the majority of Great Britain and Ireland had snow cover, with the area surrounding the Bristol Channel being most affected – 55 centimetres (22 in) had settled overnight around Okehampton, Devon. The last time such widespread snowfall affected Britain was in February 1991.[17]
The 2009 Mediterranean wildfires were a series of wildfires that broke out across France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey in July 2009. Strong winds during a hot dry period of summer increased the chances of wildfires across the area.[18] Temperatures peaked at 44 °C (111 °F) in Spain and reached 37 °C (99 °F) in Gran Canaria, which the authorities kept on a high alert.[19] Lightning strikes caused some of the fires in the Aragon region of Spain, as reported by El Pais.[20] Lightning strikes also caused wildfires in Mojácar, Spain, as suggested by the Spanish Forest Fire Organisation (INFOCA).[21] The wildfires outside of Marseille, France were caused by military training using tracer bullets.[20] The local government of Corsica believed the fires were caused by arson.[20] They lead to the deaths of eight people.
Through late July, Portland, Seattle and other isolated regions in the Pacific Northwest reach all-time record highs in excess of 100 degrees. Meanwhile, the Midwest and Northeast experience one of the coolest summers on record.
| Global weather by year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by 2008 |
Weather in 2009 |
Succeeded by 2010 |