WEEK 10 - UNDER THE WEATHER WITH THE WEATHER

Tropical Storm Fakir turns deadly after unleashing destructive winds, mudslides on La Reunion

Tropical Storm Fakir has caused at least two deaths after it unleashed a direct hit on La Reunion on Tuesday.

The island nation of Mauritius also took a direct hit, but there have been no reports of fatalities at this time.

A tropical low northeast of Madagascar quickly intensified into Tropical Storm Fakir late on Monday. Traveling through a zone of favorable conditions, the storm spiked to a severe tropical cyclone before hitting La Reunion head on.

Wind gusts of 112 km/h (70 mph) were reported in Saint Pierre, on the southern end of La Reunion Island on Tuesday morning. These wind speeds are equivalent to that of a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific Ocean basins.

These powerful winds toppled trees and power lines and caused low visibility in wind-whipped rain.

"Fakir dumped nearly 390 mm (15 inches) of rain across parts of Reunion Island," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.

This rainfall caused massive flooding and impassible roads in some places.

SUNNY OUTLOOK: Temperatures of up to 30°C forecast in Spain this weekend

GENERALLY stable and sunny weather will return to Spain this weekend and some areas could see the mercury rising to 30°C (86°F) a sure sign that summer is on its way!

Some storms may develop, however, in the west of Andalucia and southern Extremadura - mainly during Saturday afternoon.

Showers may also fall in Galicia and in northern areas of the Canary Islands.

On Sunday, Andalucia and Extremadura may also experience showers and occasional and scattered squalls may break out in the western half of the country.

During Saturday maximum temperatures of 20 - 24°C are predicted across much of the country although in some areas of Andalucia the mercury could hit 28 or even 30 degrees.

On Sunday temperatures are expected to climb a little more as much of the country will experience highs of 24 - 26 °C.

The graph shows average amount of days (24h) with precipitation during a month. When precipitation has surpassed 1mm per day (24h) it is defined as a day with precipitation. The mean period is 1961–1990. 

The graph shows average amount of days (24h) with precipitation during a month. When precipitation has surpassed 1mm per day (24h) it is defined as a day with precipitation. The mean period is 1961–1990.

These two graphs show us the differences between the rainfalls in Berlin, Germany and in Murcia, Spain. As we can check, there are huge differences between both countries. The first one has abundant rains throughout the year. January and December are the main months where it rains most, although during the rest of the year we can observe that there is an average of 9 or 8 milliliters in some months. The months that there are 7 milliliters are the months of summer and autumn like August, September and October. However, in April we find the same amount and, although, it is an abundant quantity, there is a big difference between Murcia and Berlin. Since in Murcia, it is one of the rainiest months in Murcia, and in Berlin one of the least rainy.

The second graph indicates the rainfall in Murcia. According to the information, the rainfall in this place in Spain is scarce. This city is southeast of Spain and is one of the hottest throughout the year, which is why it also affects rainfall. The rainiest months in this area of Spain are April, May, October, November and December with 4 milliliters of maximum rainfall. A big difference considering the measures of Berlin. In addition, we can observe that in the winter months such as January, February and March it rains in scarce quantities. Although, the worst rainfall measures are in summer with only, two and one milliliter from June to September. 

In conclusion, if you want to go on vacation to a place of beach, sun and heat, in which it does not rain much, your destination would be Murcia. On the contrary, if you prefer a place where there is sun but rarely during the year, you must choose Berlin. Even so, if you do not guide yourself according to the weather, you can visit both.


This week, I have seen the film "Pretty Woman" in English and moreover, I have studied grammar books.