Extreme weather has upended life across Europe and Asia this week, with devastating flooding in Japan, heatwave wildfires in England, and a historic drought forcing two countries to power down nuclear reactors.
The disruption spans two continents, leaving thousands of people stranded, evacuated or rationing water. In Japan, record rainfall triggered landslides and power cuts, killing at least nine people, with the toll later rising. In Europe, a heatwave already longer than the deadly 2003 disaster has dried out rivers and pushed energy systems to the brink.
Japan’s Floods Strand Thousands Mid-Holiday
Torrential rain swept eastern Japan on 13 August. The weather authority issued its highest-level heavy rain warning for the region for the first time.
Some parts of Chiba prefecture saw three times more rain in half a day than they usually see for all of August, according to Japan’s meteorological agency.
Evacuation orders went out to more than 100,000 residents, and more than 20,000 households lost power.
Wildfire (Image: USDA)
Europe’s Heatwave Outlasts 2003 Disaster
The current heatwave, Europe’s fifth this summer, is affecting some 300 million people. It is already lasting longer than the 2003 heatwave that killed tens of thousands of mostly elderly people, according to the European weather agency.
In France, Italy and Spain, some 92 million people are enduring temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, largely without air conditioning. Drought has led to water restrictions across nearly 70 per cent of France.
Read more: IBTimes on MSN
