Weather: Typhoons Talim and Doksuri batter China
Staff writer
Beijing: China has been battered by two typhoons in recent weeks that have caused severe flooding across the east coast. Typhoon Talim hit the south on 17 July, with gusts of 85mph (137km/h), according to the Guangdong weather bureau.
Days later, on 28 July, Typhoon Doksuri struck Fujian province on China’s south-eastern coast with gusts above 100mph.
Strong winds tore down trees and spread large amounts of debris, but it was heavy rain that caused the biggest problems as soils were already saturated.
Doksuri then travelled north, triggering red alerts for heavy rain in northern China.More than 30,000 people were evacuated from the most at-risk zones in the capital, Beijing, where there was more than 100mm of rain, with some areas closer to 500mm.
The storm left a trail of devastation. Buses, trains, flights and ferries were suspended, many businesses and schools were closed, and crops severely damaged.
Another typhoon in the region, Khanun, has been affecting the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. Although Khanun is not forecast to hit China directly, it could send further storm tides.
Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea recorded the highest temperatures of the year, hitting 39C (102F) in parts of the country amid a heatwave. This is several degrees above the seasonal average (the mid-20s celsius), prompting the government to raise the heat warning status to “serious” for the first time since 2019.
Temperatures are expected to remain above average into next week, putting further strain on emergency services after more than 1,000 reports of heat-related diseases were recorded so far this year and 16 heat-related deaths reported since May.
Other parts of the world have also battled extreme heat over the past few weeks. South America has been experiencing a heatwave linked to an area of high pressure over Paraguay, creating a heat dome not dissimilar to one that affected southern Europe last month.
The Andes mountainous region has been worst affected, and high-altitude areas have reported maximum winter temperatures of about 35C.
