Spain and Portugal have been hit by a third severe storm in quick succession, with Storm Marta bringing fresh torrential rain and claiming two lives over the weekend, as outlined by The Guardian. This follows the deadly passage of Storm Kristin, which killed at least five people after making landfall on 28 January, and Storm Leonardo, which claimed another victim last Wednesday.
Further Rain Forecast for Southern Europe
The outlook for this week is for more rain across Spain, Portugal and France, with north-west Portugal potentially seeing more than 100mm during the first half of the week. Later in the week, some of the heaviest rain is expected to transfer to southern Italy and western parts of Greece and Turkey.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Southern Africa
Meanwhile, high rainfall totals are also anticipated across parts of South Africa and Lesotho. By Saturday, South African provinces including the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape could see widespread totals of 80-100mm from heavy showers or thunderstorms, with daily totals potentially reaching 50mm in the most intense storms.
The South African Weather Service has already issued warnings for severe thunderstorms through the first half of the week, citing risks of excessive lightning, gusty winds, and hail. It states that flooding, mudslides, and infrastructure damage is expected, potentially affecting more than 10 million people.
Cold Spell in Japan and Korea
In East Asia, Japan and Korea continued to experience below-average temperatures last week, with the cold peaking over the weekend. In Tokyo, temperatures fell to almost 10C below average on Sunday, struggling to rise above zero amid snowfall.
While snow in Tokyo is not unheard of, occurring about once or twice a year on average, the phenomenon is influenced by Japan’s position between a cold northerly flow from continental eastern Asia and moisture from the Sea of Japan and the Philippine Sea. Western areas of Japan tend to see the most significant snowfall, with the Hokuriku region receiving more than 50cm in 24 hours on this occasion. Temperatures are forecast to rise quickly later this week, reaching the mid to high teens in Tokyo by the weekend.
