GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

JULY2022

ASIA

   AS of Thursday (4^th) 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 (25^th). 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 (6^th). 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 (30^th). 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 (17^th). Around 70 homes in Nelson, at the north of the South Island, and a further 140 homes on the West Coast were evacuated (17^th). Media footage from the region showed flooded rivers, water washing over roads and teams using rescue boats to check on flooded areas.