Over the Christmas period, the upper North Island of New Zealand experienced stormy conditions, grounding flights and flooding roads. Thunderstorms broke out on 22 December, leading to heavy rainfall and an incredible 4,500 lightning strikes in just two hours. Unfortunately, one of these lightning strikes set a property alight in the town of Waitōtara in the south of the island. Although no injuries were reported, the property and surrounding farmlands were mostly destroyed. Furthermore, a small tornado was spotted in the Southland region of the South Island, though thankfully, no damage was caused. Although there were long sunny spells on Christmas Day, thunderstorms arose once more on Boxing Day. Between 2pm and 7pm local time, about 25-40mm fell over the upper North Island, although one rain gauge in the Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu recorded 50mm in just one hour. Parts of the motorway close to Mount Wellington were consequently closed, and several flights grounded. This excessive rainfall comes after several months of above average precipitation for the area, which exacerbated the risk of ground flooding and landslides. In contrast to New Zealand, it was on Christmas Day that Mexico City experienced treacherous weather. The air quality is usually poor on 25 December due to the fireworks and festivities of the previous night. This year, however, residents also faced thunderstorms. Heavy rain and localised flooding swept across the city, alongside reports of lightning and hail. The authorities urged residents to take extra caution as power lines could be damaged and driving conditions more difficult. Some more mountainous regions, however, had a white Christmas, seeing some snowfall as an extension of the recent North American cold snap. On the other hand, many parts of Europe had some surprisingly pleasant weather as temperatures soared above average for the Christmas period. Parts of Spain and southern France reached temperatures close to 20C, which is highly unusual for winter. These warmer conditions are set to continue into the new year, as temperatures reach the mid to high teens widely across the continent – the UK being an exception.