Australia issued “catastrophic†fire warnings amid forecasts for soaring temperatures as snow and freezing weather forced China to evacuate thousands and snarled transportation in Europe.
The Australian state of Victoria activated its Code Red fire warning, the highest level, for the first time today as South Australia yesterday issued a statewide “catastrophic” fire danger warning after temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The alert system was introduced after the so-called Black Saturday bushfires killed 173 people in Victoria last year.Blizzards in China's westernmost province of Xinjiang killed one and forced authorities to evacuate more than 5,000 other residents, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. More snow is forecast for Xinjiang today and tomorrow, with temperatures in the provincial capital of Urumqi expected to fall to as low as minus-15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit), the China Meteorological Administration said.
