It's a long time since the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season started way back in January as Hurricane Alex headed for Greenland.

Today we bring you news of Hurricane Matthew, who swept through the Lesser Antilles into the Caribbean Sea as a mere tropical storm but has now turned north and strengthened into a major hurricane. Matthew briefly reached category 5 status yesterday with sustained wind speeds of 160 miles per hour, but those winds have dropped down to a mere 150 mph this morning. Like Alex, Matthew has several claims to fame, most notably as the southernmost category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, at 13.3° north. Here's the current forecast from the National Hurricane Center:

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It's February 14th today, better known as Saint Valentine's Day. Much like last year the Great British nation is currently being exhorted to #ShowTheLove for the environment. Here what David Cameron pledged exactly one year ago today:

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In their latest cyclone warning bulletin the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Brisbane revealed this forecast track for Tropical
Cyclone Ita:

Forecast track for Tropical Cyclone Ita at 7:57 pm EST Sunday 13 April 2014

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Cornish charity Shelterbox have been providing their distinctive green, tent filled boxes to the people of Haiti off and on for years now, as well as many other places around the planet.  In their latest report from the Caribbean island nation following the passage of Hurricane Sandy last month, they say that:

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In their last public advisory bulletin concerning "Super Storm" Sandy the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center said yesterday that:

WINDS, ACCUMULATING SNOWS AND RAIN FROM THE REMNANTS OF SANDY CONTINUE TO DIMINISH. MULTIPLE CENTERS OF CIRCULATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE REMNANTS OF SANDY CAN BE FOUND ACROSS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES.

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In the most recent bulletin from the United States' National Hurricane Center, they report that:

SANDY REACHES HURRICANE STRENGTH… CONDITIONS DETERIORATING IN JAMAICA.

Here's the latest forecast track for Hurricane Sandy:

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It's been strengthening very slowly, but at 11:20 AM CDT yesterday Isaac was officially declared to have become a category 1 hurricane. Whilst still a mere tropical storm, here's what it did to Haiti a few short days ago:

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Officially Isaac is still only a tropical storm. However according to the latest public advisory bulletin from the United States National Hurricane Centre:

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…

• SOUTH COAST OF DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FROM ISLA SAONA WESTWARD TO THE HAITI-DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SOUTHERN BORDER

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I've been blogging for some years now about the apparently increasing impact of North Atlantic hurricanes, and in particular their effect on one of the poorest nations on the planet, Haiti.  Today Hurricane Irene has left Haiti in its wake, and according to the United Nations this time around:

More on Hurricane Irene Spares Haiti, but Threatens the United States

According to the Miami Herald:

Former singer Michel ‘Sweet Micky’ Martelly is expected to be the next president of Haiti, observers say, defeating former first lady Mirlande Manigat.

After many months of intimidation, fraud allegations, reruns, recounts, and other delays it appears that later today Michel Martelly will be formally proclaimed as the new President of Haiti.  If that is confirmed the musician will  have a mountain of problems to deal with, but here is the one that concerns us most. According to the official statistics 4766 people have already died in the outbreak of cholera in Haiti. Things seem to be much improved, and only one of those deaths was on March 28th, currently the most recently reported date. However just as it was this time last year the Haitian rainy season is on the way. Unlike last year people in Haiti are already dying from cholera, and the program to improve supplies of clean drinking water and better sanitation is way behind schedule.

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