GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

JULY 2020

ASIA

At least 20 people are missing and two were found in a state of cardiac arrest after a large-scale mudslide hit Atami, a seaside resort town in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan at around 1030 LT (3rd). Atami is about 100 km SW of Tokyo. The slide was caused by
more than a month's worth of July rain in just 48 hours. In total, thirty locations in five prefectures, including Tokyo, have set new rainfall records for a 48-hour period in July. Among them is Mori in Shizuoka with 475 mm, Fuji, Shizuoka with 449.5 mm
and Tenryu, Shizuoka with 363.5 mm of rain. Hundreds of thousands are under evacuation orders.
8th
A severe windstorm hit Gambia's western region, including the capital Banjul. The storm hit around midnight (local time), destroying scores of homes in some of the country's western outskirts and leaving at least 10 people dead. 1500 people were
displaced, according to government figures.

A lightning strike killed at least 16 people and injured many more in Jaipur in northern India. The victims were taking selfies in the rain on top of a watch tower at the city's 12th Century Amer Fort, a popular tourist attraction (11th). Dozens have
also died in lightning strikes in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states. Lightning strikes kill some 2,000 Indians on average every year, according to official data.

At least 29 people have been killed and 7 others remain missing after heavy rains affecting China's central province of Henan since 16 July intensified today (20th). 25 of them died and 7 remain missing in Henan's capital Zhengzhou after massive floods
caused by a month's worth of July rains in just one hour. 4 people died in severe floods that hit the city of Gongyi on the same day. Zhengzhou received 457.5 mm of precipitation within 24 hours to 1700 LT today, making it the highest daily rainfall
since the weather records in the city began. The city has also reported record-high hourly precipitation of 201.9 mm between 1600 and 1700 LT. From 17 to 20 July the capital city recorded 617.1 mm of rain, nearly its annual average of 640.8 mm. This is a
level seen only 'once in a thousand years,' according to local meteorologists. Zhengzhou's average monthly rainfall for July is 193 mm. July is also its wettest month on average.

Rescuers are scouring devastated parts of western India for survivors after heavy rains caused deadly floods (24th). Tens of thousands of people have been moved out of affected areas, with record-breaking rainfall reported along parts of the coast. The
states of Goa and Maharashtra have been badly affected, with many feared missing near the financial hub Mumbai. At least 136 people have died in Maharashtra, while in neighboring Goa hundreds of homes have been damaged.

Severe floods and mudflows caused by heavy rainfall left at least 150 people dead in northeastern Afghanista (28th)n. The worst-affected was mountainous Nuristan Province in the eastern part of the country, particularly its Kamdesh District. According to
media reports, 200 homes were destroyed and roads damaged in the district's Miardish village.
Three days of heavy rainfall in northern Pakistan caused severe flash flooding in parts of the capital Islamabad and surrounding areas, leaving at least 2 people dead (28th). The heaviest rains fell from 0500 to 0630 PST. In just a few hours, Saidpur
village, located just north of the capital, recorded 123 mm of rainfall, while Golra Sharif in the Islamabad Capital Territory received 103 mm.

UNITED STATES

The East coast was battered by extreme weather in the evening as heavy thunderstorms brought flooding and travel disruption to the New York City area, while Tropical Storm Elsa dumped heavy rainfall and even sparked tornadoes in North Carolina and
Georgia (8th). New York City witnessed dramatic scenes as subway stations were inundated by heavy rainstorms ahead of Elsa, which arrived late Thursday evening. Videos posted to social media showed people wading through a flooded station in northern
Manhattan, while in a downtown station water poured from the ceiling, and a station in the Bronx saw water cascading down the stairs. The tropical storm brought heavy rains and warnings of flash flooding, as well as strong winds, according to the
National Hurricane Center. Tropical storm warnings were still in effect along the coast from North Carolina to Massachusetts on Friday morning. There was a chance Long Island in New York would see sustained tropical storm-force winds, the National
Weather Service in New York warned. Elsa seemed to spare Florida from significant damage, though it still threatened flooding downpours and caused several tornado warnings. Authorities in Jacksonville, Florida, said one person were killed Wednesday when
a tree fell and struck two cars. A spokesperson for the Naval air force Atlantic office said Thursday that a sailor assigned to a patrol and reconnaissance squadron in Jacksonville was killed. Nine people were injured on Wednesday evening in coastal
Camden county, Georgia, when a tornado struck a campground for active-duty and retired service members.

Extreme heat is building with forecasts of record-breaking temperatures in the states of California and Nevada. California's Death Valley recorded a high of 54.4C, with similar heat expected this weekend (9th). Millions of people in the US are under
warnings of excessive heat. The National Weather Service has advised those affected to drink plenty of water and stay in air conditioned buildings. This temperature in Death Valley matches one recorded in August 2020 - which some argue is the highest
temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. A temperature of 56.7C was recorded in 1913, but this is contested by climate experts.
Severe thunderstorms brought strong winds and huge hail to Des Moines, Iowa, in the afternoon (9th). The National Weather Service (NWS) issued what might be the city's first warning for hail of up to 10 cm. At 18:07 UTC, the NWS issued a severe
thunderstorm warning for parts of Boone and Green Counties for the hail of up to 6 cm diameter. The warning spread to Dallas, Polk, and Story counties 11 minutes later, and hail reports began coming in shortly. At 18:40 UTC, the warning upgraded for the
potential of hail the size of a softball, with more than 3 inches of hail reported in Woodward.

Wildfires are raging in the West as the region is hit by a heatwave that has brought record temperatures to several areas. Communities have been told to evacuate as firefighters struggle to battle the blazes in the extreme conditions (10th). Two
firefighters in Arizona died when their aircraft crashed while responding to a wildfire. Meanwhile, Las Vegas matched its all-time temperature high of 47.2C (117F) today. Firefighters battling the many wildfires in the region say the air is so dry that
much of the water dropped by aircraft to quell the flames evaporates before it reaches the ground.

EUROPE

At least 188 people (as of midday on the 18th) have died and hundreds more are missing following severe floods in western Germany, Belgium and SE Holland (14th-15th). The worst of the flooding has been in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North
Rhine-Westphalia, where buildings and cars have been washed away. It follows record rainfall in parts of western Europe that has caused major rivers to burst their banks. At least 70 people are believed to be missing in the Ahrweiler district of
Rhineland-Palatinate, after the Ahr river, which flows into the Rhine, burst its banks. Police helicopters and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to some areas to help stranded residents. Earlier, police said dozens of people were waiting on
rooftops to be rescued. Some schools have been closed, while rail and road transport links have been severely disrupted. Four people died in the Eifel region when their homes were swept away in the early hours of Thursday, police said. Neighboring
Belgium has also been hit by flash floods, and dramatic video showed cars being swept away along a street in the city of Verviers. Almost 2,000 people were forced to evacuate in the town of Chaudfontaine, Belgium's Le Soir newspaper reported. Rail
services in the southern half of Belgium have been suspended because of the extreme weather. In the Netherlands, the province of Limburg has been left heavily flooded following downpours overnight.

Heavy rain is continuing to wreak havoc, with attention now shifting to parts of Austria and southern Germany (17th-18th). Emergency crews rescued people from homes in the Austrian region of Salzburg, where floodwaters submerged the streets of one town.
The fire brigade said the capital Vienna saw more rainfall in an hour on Saturday night than in the previous seven weeks. In the Upper Bavaria region, one person was killed as heavy rains deluged basements and roads.

A violent hailstorm hit the town of Fidenza, northwest of Parma, Italy, damaging hundreds of vehicles and bringing traffic on a highway between Milan and Naples to a standstill (28th). A number of people were injured, mainly by glass shards from cracked
windows. Rain, hail, and very strong winds have created considerable damage in an area that goes from the river Po to Salsomaggiore Terme, passing through Colorno, San Polo di Torrile and Fidenza. Residents reported hail as large as 10 cm in diameter.

MIDDLE EAST

Heavy rains and thunderstorms affecting Oman the 15th, caused severe floods that disrupted traffic and electricity supply, swept away crops, particularly in the Al Dakjhaliya governorate, and left 4 people dead and 3 missing (15th-18th). Some parts of
capital Muscat were also hit by heavy rains and floods during the early evening hours of the 16th, closing roads and cutting off nearby towns. The hardest hit was the northeastern city of Sur, the capital of Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate, where up to
204.4 mm of rain fell in just 28 hours. At least one house collapsed in the city's Al Aija area.

TROPICAL

A major typhoon has hit China's eastern coast (25th). Typhoon In-Fa, known in China as Yanhua, made landfall in the city of Zhoushan at 1230 local time, state media reported. Transport links are suspended and people have been told to stay indoors. Trees
have been uprooted and there has been some flooding. Dozens of ships have been evacuated from a busy port south of Shanghai.

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