A train passenger quenches his thirst in Allahabad as heatwave temperatures in northern India reached 45C. Photograph: Diptendu Dutta/AFP/Getty Images

The US tornado season was very active last week, with further spring storms causing havoc across the southern states. They began late last Thursday in Oklahoma, then pushed into Arkansas. By late Friday, tornadoes had also been reported in Mississippi and strong winds knocked down trees in Georgia. Alabama’s governor declared a state of emergency for all counties, and 44 people had been killed by Sunday.

Strong winds associated with the storms whipped up two wildfires in southern Oklahoma on Friday, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 homes. More than 50 firefighters battled the blaze, but helicopters could not be used because of the strong winds. In Texas, recent arid conditions and strong winds mean a high risk of wildfires.

Kuwait had strong winds last week, and a severe dust storm on Wednesday reduced visibility to less than 100 meters, which lead to the suspension of air traffic, and affected oil exports, as ships were advised to postpone docking.

A heatwave across India brought temperatures of up to 45C in some northern and eastern areas last Tuesday because of an area of stubborn high pressure anchored over south Asia and the northern Indian Ocean. However, an active weather system moved across central and eastern areas on Friday, bringing heavy rain and hail. This caused severe problems in Telangana and Rayalaseema, but gave welcome relief from the extreme temperatures. Gareth Harvey MeteoGroup