Solar activity continued to intensify throughout May, triggering the most powerful geomagnetic storm over two decades, disrupting power grids, telecommunications, air travel, and GPS services. But these effects were overshadowed by stunning auroras seen far to the south, dazzling millions of witnesses around the globe. It was the most intense display in 500 years!
While some countries in the northern hemisphere, such as Mexico and India, experienced extreme heat, parts of the southern hemisphere were hit by early heavy snow and the northern hemisphere by unseasonably cold temperatures for May.
Here are some of the major events:
Moscow, Russia: Coldest early May on record.
Utah: 3 feet of snow at Snowbird ski resort.
Lake Tahoe, California: Blizzard dumps over 2 feet of snow in 24 hours.
Western Colorado: 18 inches of snow in 24 hours.
Alberta, Canada: 17 inches of snow.
Gangwon, South Korea: Rare mid-May snowstorm - 16 inches.
Turkey: Spring snow blanketed high-altitude regions.
Heavy rains and floods also hit hard around the world:
Bangladesh and India: Cyclone floods villages, blows off roofs, cuts power - 65 killed, 800,000 evacuated.
Afghanistan: Non-stop rain and heavy flooding claim 315 lives.
Indonesia: Flash floods leave at least 67 dead.
Iran: Severe flooding affects 21 provinces.
Northern Haiti: Heavy rains flood thousands of homes.
Texas, USA: Life-threatening flooding after torrential rain - 10 inches in 24 hours.
Russian Yakutia: Major flooding triggers a state of emergency.
And don’t forget to check out the video compilation of the meteor fireball seen over Spain and Portugal, quite a cosmic show.
All this and more in our SOTT Earth Changes Summary for May 2024