Weatherwatch: world hit by tornadoes, wildfires and cyclones

The deadliest tornado outbreak in six years hit the south-eastern US on 3 March. In an unusually early start to the tornado season, 36 tornadoes were reported across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. The most notable, an EF-4 tornado with a half-mile width, struck through Lee County, Alabama, killing 23 people and leaving a 68-mile (109km) path of destruction.

Multiple wildfires have burned across the Australian state of Victoria in the past two weeks. The fires were ignited naturally from the lightning strikes of thunderstorms and spread rapidly due to strong winds. One of the most damaging fires, in Bunyip state park, 40 miles east of Melbourne, destroyed more than 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of land and several homes and buildings. Wildfires have been a common occurrence across Australia over the past few months, with the country experiencing its hottest summer on record.

Tropical Cyclone Haleh became the sixth intense tropical cyclone of the season in the south-west Indian Ocean, equalling the record for the biggest number in a single season. Haleh developed into a category 4 intense tropical cyclone on 4 March to the south of the Maldives, and remained over open waters throughout, weakening 1,000 miles south of Mauritius.