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April 2014, a month of extreme weather.

This April past has featured some of the most extreme weather since records began according to this article at wunderground.com:

April featured disastrous floods in the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan (where a landslide on May 2nd killed as many as 2,700). Unusual warmth persisted in much of Europe and southern China while more cold and snow continued in the eastern half of the U.S. A violent tornado outbreak hit the U.S. Midwest and Southeast late in the month and a strong tropical cyclone pounded Queensland, Australia. Preliminary NASA data indicates that this past April was globally the 2nd warmest on record (since 1880).

The weather events included torrential rainfall, such as these ones recorded in the US:

Some parts of the world experienced record-breaking rainfall for the month of April. (Photo credit: Iain Farquhar)

The same storm system entrained a deep plume of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico resulting in an amazing rainstorm in the Mobile, Alabama to Pensacola, Florida area. Pensacola saw 20.47” (520 mm) of rainfall over a 24-hour period on April 29-30 (including 5.68”/144 mm in just one hour on the night of April 29th) and an all-time calendar day rainfall record of 15.55” (395 mm) on April 29th. The storm punctuated what became the wettest single month in the city’s records (since 1879) with a total of 29.53” (750 mm). Mobile picked up 11.24” (285 mm) on April 29th, its 3rd greatest calendar day rainfall (since 1871) and making this the wettest April on record with a 18.09” (459 mm) total.

And record high temperatures, such as these recorded on the African continent:

Some extreme heat was experienced during April in West Africa. The temperature at Linguere, Senegal peaked at 47.0°C (116.6°F) on April 18th, which was the hottest temperature measured on earth for the month and just short of the all-time April monthly record for Africa of 48.1°C (118.6°F) set at Kayes, Mali some years ago. Nearby Senegal, in Gambia, the temperature reached 45.0°C (113.0°F) at Fatoto on April 4th, which was just short of the Gambian all-time national heat record of 45.5°C (113.9°F) set at Basse Santa Su in 2009. Burkino Faso also saw near record heat with a 45.6°C (114.1°F) reading at Dori on April 17th.

All of these extreme weather events are powerful signs of the change that is coming to world and readers would do well to take heed; there will be many more as the years progress. To read more about the change that is to come and what you can do to prepare, visit: http://www.newmessage.org

Jim Brennan: