Extreme heat forecast to hit South America again in coming week

Aerial view of people walking along an almost dry arm of the Parana River, near Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. The heat coincides with severe drought that is currently gripping much of South America. Photograph: Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images

South America will endure a return of extreme heat during the next few days, after a brief respite from record breaking temperatures earlier this month.

Temperatures into next week are forecast to rise into the low 40Cs once again through northern parts of Argentina, Uruguay and much of Paraguay. The heat coincides with severe drought that is currently gripping much of South America.

Meanwhile, torrential rain has caused significant flooding in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Homes have been destroyed with a number of landslides reported due to the intense rainfall. At least 10 people are thought to have been killed, with about 12,000 left homeless. The country usually experiences flooding during the wet season, but the rains have been exceptional during the past week, overwhelming the poor drainage systems.

Unbeknown to much of the global population, the recent volcanic eruption in Tonga sent shockwaves around the world which were large enough to be easily detected by meteorological observation data. In the UK, atmospheric pressure observations showed sharp changes of between 1 and 2hPa just over half a day after the eruption occurred. A second shockwave, travelling the other way around the world, followed a few hours later, then several smaller pressure perturbations.