GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
JULY2022
ASIA
AS
of Thursday (4th) morning, over 540,000 residents living in the
Tohoku and Hokuriku regions of Japan were ordered to evacuate as heavy rains
continue falling over the Sea of Japan shoreline, triggering floods and
landslides. According to the country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism, the Mogami River in Nagai, Yamagata Prefecture,
overflowed its banks in the early hours of Thursday, flooding homes, roads and
railways. Later in the day, the land ministry and Kanazawa Prefecture’s
meteorological observatory reported that the Kakehashi River, which passes
through Ishikawa Prefecture and the districts of Haneda, Ukawa, and Yusenji in
the city of Komatsu, had also burst its banks. According to data provided by the
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), hourly rainfalls of 100–120 mm were observed
in many areas in Yamagata. In 24 hours to Wednesday night (3rd), Oguni
registered 277 mm while Iide registered 273 mm. Early Thursday morning, 149 mm
were registered in just one hour in the Niigata town of Sekikawa. The town
recorded 414.5 mm of rain in 24 hours, breaking the previous daily record of 212
mm set in July 2014. Another daily record was broken in the city of Murakami,
Niigata on the 3rd with 395.5 mm. Its previous daily rainfall record was 290 mm
set in 2005.
At
least eight people have died and 14 others have been injured as flooding caused
by torrential rain hit parts of South Korea's capital Seoul. Heavy downpours on
Monday night submerged roads, flooded metro stations and caused blackouts across
the city and neighbouring provinces. Some areas received the highest rate of
rainfall in 80 years, Korea's meteorological agency said. Images showed
floodwater gushing down the steps of metro staircases, parked cars submerged up
to their windows and people making their way across streets in knee-high water.
Residents in China's southwestern provinces are taking creative measures
to deal with a record heat wave that has seen temperatures exceed 40C (25th).
Those in Chongqing and neighbouring Sichuan are heading into underground bunkers
and cave restaurants in an attempt to seek shelter from the heat. Some experts
say the intensity of the heatwave could make it one of the worst recorded in
global history. The prolonged heatwave has exacerbated a severe drought in
China.
More than 33 million people have been affected by historic rains and
floods that have swept Pakistan, according to the country's climate minister.
Since June, more than 900 people have died in monsoon rains and floods that
continue to break weather records. Climate minister Sherry Rehman said the
country was now going through its eighth monsoon cycle "while normally the
country only has three to four cycles of rain". Since the summer season began,
multiple monsoon cycles have lashed Pakistan, causing huge floods that have
destroyed over 400,000 homes across the country.
The floods in Pakistan have now submerged a third of the country. At
least 1136 people have been killed so far and roads, crops, homes and bridges
washed away across the country. This year's record monsoon is comparable to the
devastating floods of 2010 - the deadliest in Pakistan's history - which left
more than 2000 people dead.
UNITED STATES
Flash flooding after record rainfall in California's Death Valley
national park have left nearly 1,000 people stranded, as the deluge left roads
closed and cars buried in debris (6th). At least 1.7 inches of rain
fell in the Furnace Creek area; the park’s average annual rainfall is 1.9
inches.
Millions
of Americans are under flood warnings after heavy rain this weekend in a large
portion of the south and south-western US, where high waters submerged vehicles
in Texas and swept hikers in Arizona off their feet. Government meteorologists
issued flood warnings for more than 13 million people after torrential rainfall
created life-threatening conditions in a region including north-east Texas,
Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico. On Monday, rains across the drought-stricken
Dallas-Fort Worth area caused streets to flood, submerging vehicles as officials
warned motorists to stay off the roads and water seeped into some homes and
businesses. Some parts of Dallas saw more that nearly 10 inches of rain within
24 hours, and hundreds of flights in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth international
airport were delayed or cancelled.
EUROPE
Much of Europe is baking in record heat, which has exposed riverbeds and
triggered restrictions on water use in many areas. In the Netherlands, the level
of the Waal - the main Dutch branch of the River Rhine - has dropped below the
bottom marker on a bridge at Nijmegen. The city lies near the German border, and
the Rhine is a key artery for cargo vessels and ferries. Parts of the Ijssel
river, flowing north, are now so narrow that a ban has been imposed on ships
passing each other. And the heat has caused toxic algal blooms to flourish in
parts of the Maas and Waal rivers, so people have been warned not to swim there,
and to keep their dogs out of the water. The south of Spain is well used to
scorching summers - but Andalusia is also one of Europe's main agricultural
regions, and crops need irrigation in dry conditions. Growers of avocados and
olives are especially worried, as those crops require plenty of water. But
reservoirs in the basin of the Guadalquivir - one of Spain's longest rivers -
are now only a quarter full. In northern Italy an unexploded World War Two bomb
emerged from the dried-up River Po. It was detonated in a controlled explosion
on Sunday. Large sections of the 650 km river - a dominant feature of northern
Italy - have dried up in the country's worst drought for 70 years. The drought
is not bad news for everyone, however. In Le Pouliguen, western France, the
evaporation of seawater is producing a record harvest of sea salt. The average
yield was about 1.3 tonnes per salt pan over the last 10 years, but this year it
is 2.5 tonnes. But the country's historic drought has put pressure on farmers to
keep their livestock watered. In some areas, such as the
Alps, that means extra journeys to collect water and extra fuel costs. More than
100 French municipalities are short of drinking water, which is being delivered
by truck. There are widespread restrictions on watering gardens and golf
courses, car-wash facilities have been closed and many fountains are now dry. In
Slovenia the drought is taking a heavy toll on crops, the country's agriculture
ministry reports. The corn yield is expected to be about half the normal level -
and that is a blow especially to livestock farmers, already struggling with a
shortage of animal feed. The supply of grass is also lower because of the
drought. The yield of pumpkins, potatoes and hops will also be dramatically
lower, the ministry says. Even grapes, which normally fare better in sustained
heat, are likely to be half the usual quantity for Slovenia's winemakers.
One
person has died and at least 40 others injured when high winds caused parts of a
stage to collapse at a festival in Spain. Three of the injured in the early
hours of Saturday suffered serious trauma, regional emergency services said.
Spain's meteorological agency reported gusts of winds exceeding 80 km/h in the
country's eastern coastal region at the time.
Powerful storms have battered areas of central and southern Europe,
killing at least 12 people including three children. The deaths, most from
falling trees, were reported in Italy and Austria, and on the French island of
Corsica. Heavy rain and winds wrecked campsites on the island, while in Venice,
Italy, masonry was blown off the belltower of St Mark's Basilica. The storms
follow weeks of heatwave and drought across much of the continent. In Corsica,
winds gusting up to 140 mph uprooted trees and damaged mobile homes. Boats
thrown onto the beach of Sagone in Coggia, Corsica. On the French mainland, some
southern areas were hit by power cuts and streets were flooded in the country's
second city, Marseille. Heavy rain and mudslides devastated parts of Carinthia,
Austria. High winds swept through Venice, blowing cafe umbrellas across St
Mark's Square and dislodging brickwork from the cathedral belltower. Seaside
resorts in Tuscany and further north in Liguria were damaged by the storms.
Tuscan regional leader Eugenio Giani posted a video of a Ferris wheel spinning
out of control in high winds at Piombino.
Two-thirds
of Europe is under some sort of drought warning, in what is likely the worst
such event in 500 years. The latest report from the Global Drought Observatory
says 47% of the continent is in "warning" conditions, meaning soil has dried up.
Another 17% is on alert - meaning vegetation "shows signs of stress". The report
warns that the dry spell will hit crop yields, spark wildfires, and may last
several months more in some of Europe's southern regions. Compared with the
average of the previous five years, EU forecasts for harvest are down 16% for
grain maize, 15% for soybeans and 12% for sunflowers. The report warned that
nearly all of Europe's rivers have dried up to some extent. Hydroelectric power
has dropped by a significant 20%, according to the report. The report warns that
the situation is worsening in countries including Italy, Spain, Portugal,
France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, Hungary,
northern Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Ireland and the UK. The researchers' stark
warning follows rapidly sinking river levels across Europe which have exposed
relics of the past - including so-called "hunger stones" warning of potential
famine and the sunken remains of World War Two warships.
A
20-month-old child has died in Spain after being struck on the head by a
hailstone (30th). About 50 other people reported injuries - ranging
from bruises to bone fractures - from the freak 10-minute-long storm that hit
the Girona region of Catalonia in the evening. It destroyed roofs, downed power
cables and shattered windows. One of the hailstones measured 10 cm in diameter,
Catalonia's meteorological service said. It was the largest to rain down on the
region since 2002.
SOUTH PACIFIC
Torrential rains hit New Zealand's South Island, flooding rivers, houses
and roads and forcing roughly 200 households to evacuate (17th).
Around 70 homes in Nelson, at the north of the South Island, and a further 140
homes on the West Coast were evacuated (17th). Media footage from the
region showed flooded rivers, water washing over roads and teams using rescue
boats to check on flooded areas.
If you have any questions about, or any suggestions for this website, please feel free to either fill out our guestbook, or contact me at james.munley@netzero.net.