Weather

Never would I ever have thought that I would fly over 10 hours across the Atlantic ocean just for a three-day holiday. Well, I just did that – and it’s actually possible.

The summer season is coming to an end, and before I get into the autumn mood with my jumpers and hot chocolate with marshmallows, I joined my parents with my remaining days of annual leave for a quick trip to America.

Trading London’s chilly weather and grey skies for the scorching Californian sunshine, I packed my tiny suitcase to visit Los Angeles, San Francisco and Malibu all in the same trip.

At first – like many would have – I hesitated to spend hundreds of pounds on a flight ticket and fly for half a day just to be there for a few days. But as per my New Year’s resolution list, I wanted to be more spontaneous and say ‘yes’ to things that I wouldn’t normally agree to.

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Instead of the typical sightseeing activities a tourist would do in LA, going to In-N-Out and IHOP or trying the viral $20 (£14.72) smoothie from Erewhon, we decided to use these three days to travel to the other nearby cities – which were San Francisco and Malibu. Very random, I’d say so myself.

I arrived into Los Angeles International Airport at 6pm, a 12-hour journey from London Heathrow. At least with the time difference, it became a three-hour flight. It’s crazy how time works differently depending on where you are, right?

The next day, we woke up at 4am – which, with the jet lag at the time, it wasn’t an issue – and drove almost six hours to San Francisco. The vibes reminded me of New York, and I couldn’t believe how the weather suddenly changed from 31 degrees Celsius to a chilly 19 degrees Celsius.

Our main goal was to see the Golden Gate Bridge. I would only see that in movies and postcards, and the fact that I was able to see it in real life was a bucket-list check moment. Then, we drove around the city and saw the Palace of Fine Arts and Fisherman’s Wharf, until it was time to drive for another six hours back to Los Angeles.

READ MORE: I visited the seaside town just five miles from Blackpool that couldn’t be more different

The next day, we decided to stay in the city. We had a packed day, and I wanted to ensure that we didn’t miss anything that would make us seem we hadn’t been in LA. Places like the Beverly Hills, the Walk of Fame, the Capitol Records, The Grove, and, of course, seeing the Hollywood sign.

All I’m going to say is that if we didn’t have a car, none of this would’ve been possible. I also got to try the infamous Crumbl cookies, and let me tell you, it’s not worth the hype nor the price tag.

With a flight at 11pm, we woke up bright and early for the last day and drove to Malibu. It wasn’t that long of a car ride, but the holiday blues started to kick in. The perfect weather with the windows down and playing Miley Cyrus’ Malibu tune – we even passed across the Sherbet Homes on the Pacific Coast Highway. It honestly felt like a dream.

It was a long journey and road trips involved, but it was completely worth it. Although I wish we spent more time in each city, since the landmarks are far from each other, I still enjoyed seeing different places and vibes – and even a weather change. Plus, you don’t realise how big the US is as a whole until you’re there.

This trip wasn’t the typical ‘California Girls’ holiday, but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. I got to see three different cities with completely different environments and weather changes, and although the jet lag has been a struggle to cope with, I’ve made a lot of good memories. This is definitely the summer I became the most spontaneous.

So, if you’re looking for a motivation push for some spontaneity or ever wondered if it’s possible to visit the US in less than a week, it is. Of course, it really depends on what you’re looking to do and if you have access to a car, which I highly suggest.

Typhoon is the 16th to hit Guangdong province and causes closures of schools, public transport and cancels flights.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated as Typhoon Tapah has made landfall in southern China, causing flight disruptions and school closures.

State broadcaster CCTV said the storm made landfall on Monday morning in the city of Taishan in Guangdong province, unleashing powerful winds and torrential rain.

The Guangdong Meteorological Bureau raised a yellow alert, the third highest in China’s four-tier warning system, and forecast thunderstorms and gale-force winds.

Authorities said an estimated 60,000 people have been evacuated across southern China before the storm came ashore with maximum winds of 108 kilometres per hour (67 miles per hour).

Guangdong’s Emergency Management Department ordered the suspension of all outdoor activities and closed recreational areas like parks and beaches. Schools were also closed.

Guangdong has been hit by 16 typhoons this year. Tapah is expected to move northwest, gradually losing power until it exits the province.

In Taishan, classes were suspended for 120,000 students at schools and kindergartens across the city as an estimated 41,000 people in Jiangmen were evacuated. Chinese state media reported that 3,300 emergency personnel were on standby in the city.

The southern cities of Jiangmen, Maoming and Zhuhai also raised typhoon warnings and announced school closures.

In Hong Kong, a major regional economic hub, hundreds of flights were cancelled, and travellers were stranded at the airport awaiting information on when flights would continue. Macao, a nearby casino hub, also ordered the closure of its schools, public transport and taxis and reported disruptions to flights.

In the neighbouring city of Yangjiang, just west of Hong Kong, an estimated 1,785 workers were evacuated from 26 offshore wind platforms along with 2,026 people from fish farms.

Authorities have warned residents in areas impacted by the typhoon to remain vigilant.

Growing up, Al Roker loved animation. His Saturday mornings were devoted to Bugs Bunny and Road Runner, and he would spend hours studying Preston Blair’s book on how to draw cartoons. He dreamed of becoming an animator for Walt Disney. But when he grew up and became the “Today” weatherman instead, he had the idea to combine his love of weather with his love of animation into a children’s TV series.

“Weather Hunters,” premiering Monday on PBS Kids, follows 8-year-old Lily Hunter (Tandi Fomukong) as she, her younger brother, Benny (Lorenzo Ross) and her older sister, Corky (Kapri Ladd), investigate the weather with the help of their parents, Dot (Holly Robinson Peete) and Al (Roker). The children in the series are based on Roker’s own three children: Courtney, Leila and Nick. And in a case of art fondly imitating life, Roker’s Al Hunter is a local weatherman with a penchant for dad jokes.

“This really is one of those instances where everything that you love in your life comes together,” Roker says. “The show reflects what my childhood was. My parents were very supportive of their children and what their dreams were.”

Roker has been developing the show since his now-adult children were the ages the Hunter kids are in the series. “Good things come to those who wait,” he says with a laugh.

“This is a real passion project for him,” says Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager of PBS Kids. 
“We love to have a creator who is so excited about getting kids interested in the world.”

For PBS Kids, a series rooted in weather exploration was a natural extension to its current slate of programming. “Weather plays such a big part of kids’ lives,” DeWitt says. “What should I wear today? What if it rains and I can’t do the thing I was planning to do? Where does that thunder come from? It just immediately opened up so many ideas and possibilities for us about ways we could really connect with families and get them more excited about the scientific topic.”

“Weather Hunters” centers on Lily Hunter and her family, which includes her father, Al, who, like Roker, is a weatherman.

(Weather Hunters Inc.)

Over the course of the first 10 episodes, all of which will premiere digitally on PBS Kids at launch, Lily and her family will investigate things like fog, clouds, leaves changing colors, thunderstorms, snow and the moving rocks of the desert. Sara Sweetman, an associate professor at University of Rhode Island, is an educational advisor for the series. “Weather is such fantastic content because it is very relevant to the kids’ lives,” she says. “They understand why it’s important and how it impacts them.”

But weather science, like all science, can get complex pretty quickly. “I was really adamant that there’d be one takeaway message [in each episode],” Sweetman says. “What we really want is [for] kids to watch the show and then run into the kitchen to find their dad or their mom and say, ‘Guess what?’ and be able to state that one idea really clearly.”

Sweetman was involved in each 22-minute episode from the very first pitch. “The ideal situation for educational media is that we hit the learning moment at the same moment as the emotional arc of the story,” she says. “We know from research when we can do that, that kids take that meaning away and hold on to it.”

Peete, the voice of Dot, has been friends with Roker for years. She starred in Hallmark’s “Morning Show Mysteries,” which Roker produced and was based on Roker’s novels. For Peete, whose father, Matthew Robinson Jr., was the original Gordon on “Sesame Street,” starring in the series is a “full-circle moment.” “PBS just meant so much to me,” she says. “It’s one thing for your dad to be on TV. It’s nothing for your dad to be on like the best TV children’s TV show ever. I wish my dad could see that I was actually on PBS doing this type of show with Al. He would be very, very proud that I would continue this legacy of children’s entertainment and education.”

Executive producer and showrunner Dete Meserve says animation allows the series, which is aimed at children ages 5 to 8, to have flights of fancy like the flying mobile weather station known as the Vansformer that the family explores in combined with “reality-based scientific explanations for what’s happening.” The episode on clouds explains how even though Benny can no longer see the sun behind the clouds, the sun is still there.

All kids are scientists, says Meserve, and it’s particularly nice that the character at the center of this series is a young girl interested in science. “There’s research that shows that if she can see it, she can be it,” Meserve says. “And Lily is surrounded by her siblings who have an equal interest, but the way they interact with it is different. Corky wants to film and document it. And then you have Benny, who’s more the artistic part of it. He wants to draw.”

The show also seeks to make some weather phenomena like hurricanes or thunderstorms less scary by helping the young audience understand the science behind what is happening. “We’re explaining what it is and how it works,” Roker says. “Kids can feel some sense of empowerment. In the show we talk about, how do we, as a family, prepare? How do we protect ourselves? How do we keep ourselves safe?”

Throughout the series Lily will form hypotheses and test them to see if the facts fit what she originally thought. “Those are all things that I think the show excels at — helping create those skills for critical thinking that kids can take forward as they get older,” Roker says.

He also hopes children walk away with a sense of the true beauty of weather. “There’s really this magic that happens around us,” he says. “And it’s based in science.”

PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers have had an illness running through their clubhouse lately.

And on Wednesday, it forced an alteration in their pitching plans.

While Shohei Ohtani was in the Dodgers’ lineup as designated hitter for their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two-way star was scratched from his scheduled pitching start at PNC Park after feeling “under the weather” the past few days, according to manager Dave Roberts.

“When you’re sick and potentially dehydrated, the tax of pitching in a game wasn’t worth it,” Roberts said.

Instead, Emmet Sheehan will take the mound for Wednesday’s game, while Ohtani’s next pitching appearance will be pushed to “sometime this weekend” against the Baltimore Orioles.

“Just to give him a few more days to recover,” Roberts said.

Ohtani’s sickness certainly didn’t seem to hamper him at the plate Tuesday, when he had two doubles and a career-high 120 mph exit velocity on a solo home run –– his 46th of the season and 100th as a Dodger.

However, Roberts said Ohtani’s pregame catch play on Tuesday was cut short, and that the risk of overexerting the reigning National League MVP by having him make a full-length start Wednesday wasn’t worth it.

“The toll of taking four or five at-bats versus pitching five innings, there’s no comparison,” Roberts said.

Ohtani’s symptoms have included chest and sinus “stuff” as well as “a deep cough,” Roberts added.

Several other Dodgers players have dealt with similar issues recently. Max Muncy was so sick last week, the team sent him home to rest and delayed the start of his minor-league rehab assignment to this week.

“We’re trying to manage it,” Roberts said. “But there are guys that are just not feeling great right now.”

Britain’s true national sport is complaining about the weather. But does the Sun really shine brighter everywhere else, or is this quite a green and pleasant land after all?

Compare your location to cities across the world, and find out if you’re forecast to become the BBC’s next star meteorologist.

You can find the latest forecast on the BBC Weather website.

Want to know how Cooler Than Me? works? Read the FAQ.

WE all love going on a summer holiday, but travelling during the school break can have its downsides. 

Airports and stations are busy, prices skyrocket and temperatures across Europe can soar to uncomfortable highs.

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The last thing you want to do is book a sunny beach break, only to find yourself hiding in the shade or escaping indoors for some much-needed air-con. 

This year, both Spain and Portugal saw scorching 46C temperatures and the heat in Turkey rose to a record-breaking 50.5C, which for many Brits was a bit too hot. 

Nowadays, some of the most popular summer destinations are actually better in the October half term than they are in peak time – with highs of 30C and fewer crowds.

Plus, with less demand for flights and resorts, with some hot deals, you could actually save hundreds on your holiday.

Here are our top picks for an bargain autumn jaunt:

Paphos, Cyprus for £205pp

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October is a sweet spot in Cyprus, with autumn months near-perfect weather-wise. 

In the Cyprus off-season, it’s sunny almost every day with temperatures around 26C. 

Even the sea temperature stays a pleasant 24C and beaches are far less crowded and more serene than in the height of summer. 

While some beach resorts lose their vibrancy and buzz in the low season, Paphos is in full swing. 

Even the super-summer outlets, like beach cafes and food stands remain open until at least the first week of November. 

Paphos, especially, is a top spot in the low season. Resorts that were packed out all summer offer the same stunning pools, sea views and entertainment, but with no sunbed scrum or going elbow-to-elbow at the buffet.

History buffs and those who want to sight-see can take a stroll around the UNESCO-listed Tombs of the Kings, one of the largest collections of ancient mosaics in the world. 

In October, there is no need to book and no long lines to get in.

Better still, you can bag some of the best prices you’ll see all year. 

A seven-night stay at the 3-star, Club St George Resort, room only and with return flights from Manchester is only £209.

Get the deal: loveholidays.com

Dalaman Coast, Turkey for £129pp

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You might say there is no such thing as winter in the Aegean. 

Whilst the temperature does dip at the end of the year, October still has stunning weather in Turkey. 

The Dalaman Coast, with its beautiful beaches, lush forests and crystal-clear water is ideal for a post-summer escape. 

Not to mention the prices are as impressive as the scenery. 

Named the Turquoise Coast by locals – who all take full advantage of the lingering summer, heading to the beach from Turkey’s busy cities – the location is stunning.

The Blue Lagoon is the most beautiful spot on the coast. With incredibly clear water, white sand banks, excellent snorkelling and hidden beaches and coves.

October and November sometimes threaten a rain shower, but that’s when you head to one of the canopy-covered coastal bars for plates of traditional Manti (Turkish dumplings), Börek pastries and a glass of local budget beer for £3 a pint.

If you’ve got sea legs, take a boat trip out onto the water. 

As well as a panoramic view of Turkey’s forest-lined coastline, you can spend the day snorkelling, swimming, or just lounging around on deck, like an off-duty A-lister who knows when and where to go to avoid the crowds. 

With less demand, excursions and boat trips are a fraction of the price you’ll pay in summer.

However, the real savings are the jaw-dropping deals on offer for Turkey at this time of year.

A seven-night room-only stay at Club Sun Smile in Marmaris is only £129 per person, including flights on easyJet from London Gatwick. This is less than half the price of the same holiday in summer, which was £429 per person.

Get the deal: loveholidays.com

Crete, Greek Islands, for £169pp

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The whitewashed Greek islands, like Santorini, Mykonos and Naxos, are swamped with tourists in the summer.

But on many islands, once autumn is in full swing and the hedonistic summer days have relaxed, lots of businesses close up for the season. 

A big reason for this is that the number of big-spending cruise ship passengers drops dramatically, with the ocean liners sailing further south for the warmer weather and less choppy waters.

However, one of the best Greek Islands will still be in full swing and is ideal for a pre-winter visit.

It’s time to set your sights on Crete and the charming resorts that are dotted across the island.

Coastal towns like Chania and Rethymnon are hives of activity, with resorts that offer fantastic value for money, especially at family resorts. 

There are cute, little beach towns all along the coast, but you may find the sea itself a bit chilly at this time of year. 

Chania is an excellent city to explore or go for a wander, popping into local shops, gelato stands and grabbing an outdoor table at one of the cafes that line the harbour.

Watch the super yachts go in and out while you snack on tasty mezze spreads, £10 bottles of wine and some of the cheapest beer in the Med. 

It doesn’t have the white and blue aesthetic commonly associated with Greece, and feels more like a romantic Italian town. 

Much of Chania is pedestrianised, so it’s ideal for visiting with kids. 

There is a cheap bus that runs from the city to all the major beach towns, so you can save even more money by not renting a car or taking costly taxis. 

The chilled out Valentina Apartments have an excellent customer rating and a picturesque location, surrounded by olive trees. 

The self-catering apartment means you can make this a home-away-from-home for the week and all for just £169, including flights from London Gatwick.

Get the deal: travelsupermarket.com

Dubai, United Arab Emirates for £512.50pp

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Dubai’s almost too-hot-to-handle summer heat finally becomes more comfortable for us Brits in October, making it one of the best times to visit as a family.

The Arab Emirates hotspot (literally) is more of a luxury break than the bargains you can book in Europe. 

But if you’ve always wanted to see it for yourself, this is the time to pick up a great deal. 

Toward the end of the year, airfares to Dubai begin to increase again, as people flee to the swanky desert for some almost-guaranteed winter sun. 

Squeezing in a trip between summer and Christmas is the best time to get a cracking deal, saving hundreds on a cheeky escape.

There is so much to do as a family here, including desert safaris, the aquarium and water parks like Aquaventure at Atlantis the Palm.

Downtown is a good place to stay with families, since it’s in the middle of everything. 

The MD Hotel by Gewan is next to the famous Mall of the Emirates and a short drive to the tourist hub and beach area, Palm Jumeirah.

Plus, it has a rooftop pool with views of the city. 

A stay here is £512.50 for seven nights, bed and breakfast and flights on TUI from Stansted, including checked and carry-on luggage.

Get the deal: tui.co.uk

Playa del Carmen, Mexico for £618.24pp

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Long-haul trips will always be more of a commitment both time-wise and budget-wise, but if you’ve always wanted to jet off to a tropical paradise, this is your booking window. 

Mexico is a great destination in the autumn months. 

It is technically the rainy season, but tropical downpours tend to be quick, steamy and over before they’ve even begun. 

The plus side is you end up with fresh, less dusty air, and a bit of rain makes everything cooler.

After a quick shower, the rest of the day is usually blue skies and sunny but not hot and humid, which is ideal for families. 

The beaches here are beautiful, with lots of opportunities for water sports, snorkelling over the coral reef and boat excursions.

Or, you can just spend the day paddling and playing on the golden-sand beaches. 

Riviera Maya is also a great place to visit if you want to see the historic, cultural side of Mexico. 

In Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, you can tour the famous Mayan Ruins of Coba, a preserved ancient Maya city, which is a fascinating part of Mexico’s history.

The HM Playa del Carmen is offering a seven-night bed and breakfast deal with return flights from Manchester to Cancun on TUI, including baggage and transfers, for £618.24 per person.

This is also 50% cheaper than the same trip in peak time, which for Mexico is December to March.

Get the deal: tui.co.uk

Pakistan has been reeling from flooding triggered by torrential rains, with nearly 400 people killed since August 14.

On Wednesday, Karachi was inundated following a heavy downpour, paralysing the southern port city of 20 million people less than a week after deadly flash floods swept away villages in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

More than 700 people have been killed in the flooding and landslides across the South Asian nation since June, with forecasters warning of further downpours until Saturday.

So why have floods in Pakistan been so intense, and what is the solution to the South Asian country’s flooding problem?

Where did it flood in Pakistan?

The Buner district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been the worst hit, with more than 200 people killed and extensive damage to homes and public infrastructure across the northwestern mountainous province since August 14.

The Himalayan region of Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as Pakistan-administered Kashmir, was also affected.

Karachi, the capital of the southern Sindh province, was hit by floods after rainfall on Tuesday. Videos circulating on social media showed cars and motorbikes submerged in water.

How many people have died in the floods?

On Thursday, nine people died and 15 were injured across the country, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Seven of these deaths were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while two were in Sindh.

On Wednesday, 41 people died and 11 people were injured across the country. At least 19 of these deaths were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11 deaths were in Sindh, and 11 deaths were reported in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Some 759 people have died, including 186 children, and 993 have been injured since the onset of the monsoon season in June. More than 4,000 houses have been damaged due to flooding in the same period.

What do rescue efforts look like?

The head of the NDMA, Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, said that more than 25,000 people had been rescued from flood-hit areas, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The army and air force have also been pressed into action in rescue efforts.

On Wednesday, 2,300 people were treated in 14 active medical camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the NDMA. Relief items have also been distributed among those affected by the floods.

What is causing the floods in Pakistan?

While the exact cause of the floods is yet to be determined, several factors could have contributed to the deluge.

“While climate change plays a critical role in intensifying flooding events in Pakistan, other factors such as urbanisation, deforestation, inadequate infrastructure, and poor river management also contribute significantly,” Ayyoob Sharifi, a professor at Hiroshima University in Japan, told Al Jazeera.

Climate change

Sharifi told Al Jazeera that climate change is causing monsoon rainfall to intensify, resulting in more frequent extreme precipitation events.

A study co-authored by Sharifi and published in February this year, indicates that cities such as Lahore and Faisalabad could experience increased rainfall under certain scenarios, heightening the risk of urban flooding.

He added that rising temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture, leading to heavier downpours during storms. In northern Pakistan, these higher temperatures are also accelerating glacial melting, which increases the likelihood of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). These are floods that occur when water is suddenly released from a glacial lake.

Earlier this month, a GLOF occurred in Pakistan’s northern region of Hunza, when the Shisper Glacier swelled the Hassanabad nullah, damaging infrastructure and destroying cultivable land, Dawn reported on August 8.

While Pakistan is responsible for less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions according to European Union data, the country bears the brunt of climate disaster, the country’s former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail told CNBC in 2022.

Heavy rain over a short period

Fahad Saeed, a climate scientist at the Berlin-based think tank, Climate Analytics, told Al Jazeera that the flooding was caused by higher-intensity rainfall. This means that there was a large amount of rain over a short period.

In Buner, more than 150mm (6 inches) of rain fell in just one hour on Friday morning.

In 2022, Pakistan endured its most severe monsoon season ever recorded, resulting in at least 1,700 deaths and causing an estimated $40bn in damage. Saeed said the 2022 floods were unexpected because of the areas they hit, ravaging arid or semiarid parts of northern Sindh that usually do not experience heavy rainfall.

However, rainfall this year has occurred within or around the region that normally experiences monsoon rain, he said. What is unusual this time is the sheer intensity of the rain.

Soil unable to absorb the rain in rural areas

Saeed explained that when there is rapid rainfall in a rural area over a short time, the soil does not get enough time to absorb the rainwater. “The rain doesn’t infiltrate into the soil, rather, it flows off the surface. It results in mudslides and soil erosion.”

This applies to rural areas in the northern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Gilgit-Baltistan.

“What happens is that normally, if you are living next to the rivers, your house is prone to get destroyed or inundated. But this time, what happened is that even if you are on the slopes of the mountain, the rainfall is so intense that because of the mudslide and the landslides, it destroyed the homes at the elevations,” Saeed explained.

Issues with the drainage system in urban areas

Karachi primarily relies on natural stormwater drains, or nullahs, for rainwater to be drained off.

Research shows that Karachi generates more than 20,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, and the nullahs are clogged by this rubbish.

During an event on urban flooding last year, hydrologist Sana Adnan pointed out that cleaning nullahs only before the monsoon season significantly contributes to flooded roads, emphasising that heavy rains can happen at any time of the year, not just during the monsoon, local outlet Dawn News reported.

Architect and planner Arif Hasan told Dawn in 2020 that due to the absence of a sustainable social housing policy, working-class families set up informal settlements across these nullahs. These informal settlements and formal developments use the nullahs for sewage disposal.

Hasan wrote that since the mid-1960s, Karachi’s waste disposal system has been set up for sewage to go into nullahs.

Rapid urbanisation and migration

Sharifi said that another reason behind urban flooding is that rapid and unplanned urbanisation reduces natural drainage and increases surface run-off, exacerbating flooding in cities like Karachi and Lahore.

Saeed added that cities are growing due to the rapid migration of people from rural areas into urban centres, and climate change might also cause this.

“Whenever somebody migrates from a rural to an urban area, they tend to move towards big cities like Lahore or Karachi,” Saeed said.

He explained that climate change can result in low crop yields, compromising the livelihoods of farmers in rural areas, leading them to move their families to cities.

“Once they reach the city, they are most likely to settle in informal settlements. Over time, they try to become part of that society. Meanwhile, city management struggles to provide necessary civic facilities, creating a kind of feedback loop.”

Deforestation and river management issues

“Loss of forest cover in upstream areas reduces the land’s ability to absorb water, increasing the volume of run-off into rivers,” Sharifi said.

Buner is mostly hilly, with steep slopes leading into narrow valleys. The area’s loose, easily eroded soil and ongoing deforestation make it especially prone to landslides and flash floods.

Sharifi added that the absence of green infrastructure such as parks, wetlands and permeable pavements also exacerbates flooding by removing natural systems that would otherwise help absorb and slow water flow, reducing the risk of flooding.

“Inefficient management of river systems, including the lack of proper embankments and flood control measures, contributes to riverine flooding.”

Limitations in early warning systems 

The study that Sharifi co-authored identified limitations in the early warning systems which predict rainfall.

He explained that the currently used models often fail to capture regional and local climate nuances, leading to inaccuracies in projecting extreme precipitation events at smaller scales.

Sharifi added that most studies focus on large cities, leaving small cities underrepresented.

What measures can Pakistan take to mitigate flooding?

“Mitigating flooding in Pakistan requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses both structural and non-structural measures,” Sharifi said.

He explained that structural steps include building and maintaining drainage systems, reservoirs and restoring natural waterways.

Urban areas should use green infrastructure like permeable pavements and rain gardens to absorb water and prevent run-off. Urban planning must also manage land use to avoid building in flood-prone areas.

Non-structural measures include the latest early warning systems, better disaster preparedness, community education on flood risks and stronger disaster management coordination.

Saeed said that Pakistan is experiencing multiple facets of climate change impacts.

He said that addressing climate change calls for holistic, integrated planning across different departments.

“We can no longer afford to work in silos,” Saeed said, explaining that Pakistan has federal-level ministries for climate change, development, water, industry and agriculture.

Climate scientists, academics and other experts need to become a part of climate policymaking in the country, he said.

How is the current flood situation in Pakistan?

Rainwater accumulation has been cleared from the northwestern regions of Pakistan. However, infrastructure has sustained damage.

The Sindh Information Department made a series of posts on X on Wednesday saying that stormwater has been cleared from roads in multiple neighbourhoods in Karachi, including North Nazimabad. Safoora, Clifton and Liaquatabad.

Dawn reported on Wednesday that rainwater had accumulated in some roads near Karachi’s major I I Chundrigar Road.

Is more flooding expected in Pakistan?

Yes, the NDMA posted an emergency alert on X at about noon (07:18 GMT) saying that extremely heavy rainfall is expected in Sindh’s cities Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and adjacent areas “within the next 12-24 hours”.

The NDMA added that there is a risk of more than 50 to 100mm of rainfall over a short period raising the risks of urban flooding in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas.

The NDMA added that Sindh’s rural regions Thatta, Badin, Jamshoro and Dadu are at risk of sudden flooding due to rising water levels in the Indus River and its tributaries. Low-lying regions may be inundated, with major highways and local roads potentially submerged, severely affecting transport. Extended disruptions to power and telecommunication services are also expected.

The authority has warned residents in flood-prone areas to move livestock and valuable items to safe locations, keep emergency supplies ready, be careful when using electrical appliances and stay away from submerged roads and from electrical poles.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department issued a similar warning on its X account on Wednesday, listing more areas prone to upcoming floods in the southern region of the Balochistan province, such as Makran and Khuzdar.

The NDMA has predicted monsoon spells across the country until September 10.

Schools shut and villages swept away as Pakistan reels from monsoon devastation.

At least 21 people have died in monsoon rain-related incidents in Pakistan, authorities said, pushing the nationwide death toll over the last week above 400 as floods and landslides continue to devastate large parts of the country.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Wednesday that 11 people were killed in Gilgit-Baltistan in the north and 10 others died in Karachi, Pakistan’s financial hub, where heavy rain triggered electrocutions and house collapses.

Schools in Karachi, a city of more than 20 million, remained closed as forecasters warned of further downpours until Saturday. Sindh’s chief meteorologist, Amir Hyder Laghari, blamed “weak infrastructure” for the severe flooding in urban areas.

The city’s ageing pipes and drains struggled to handle the deluge, leaving entire neighbourhoods submerged. Residents were seen scooping murky water from their homes as power and phone outages added to the disruption.

Provincial officials reported 40 to 50 houses damaged in two districts. “Another (rain) spell is to start by the end of the month,” NDMA chairman Inam Haider Malik said.

The northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been hardest hit, with more than 350 people killed since last Thursday. Authorities and army units are searching for dozens of missing villagers in areas struck by flash floods and landslides. Excavators have been deployed to clear debris clogging rivers and drainage systems.

“We have established relief camps where we are providing medical assistance. We are also giving dry rations and tents to all the people,” army Colonel Irfan Afridi told the AFP news agency in Buner district, where more than 220 people have died in recent days.

“The children are scared. They say we cannot sleep at night due to fear,” said Anjum Anwar, a medical worker at a relief camp. “The flood … has destroyed our entire settlements.”

The monsoon season, which runs from June to September, often brings destruction to Pakistan’s mountainous north and flood-prone south. Authorities warn the current rains may last until mid-September.

Nearly 750 people have died since this year’s monsoon began, officials said. Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, has faced increasingly extreme weather in recent years. In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country, killing about 1,700 people.

EXPLAINER

With this year’s hurricane season under way, Al Jazeera visualises the differences between various storm systems.

Hurricane Erin became the Atlantic Ocean’s first hurricane of the season – which runs from June 1 to November 30 – rapidly intensifying to Category 5 on Saturday before weakening to Category 2 on Tuesday.

While the storm remained far out at sea, it still generated major waves along the United States East Coast. Officials in North Carolina’s Outer Banks warned of coastal flooding and issued evacuation orders.

On its path were the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos, with swells reaching the Bahamas, Bermuda, the US East Coast and Atlantic Canada.

The storm’s rapid intensification, reaching Category 5 in a short span, ranks it among the fastest-strengthening hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. Scientists have linked such rapid intensification to climate change, as global warming increases atmospheric water vapour and ocean temperatures, providing hurricanes with more fuel to strengthen quickly and unleash heavier rainfall.

Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) publishes an alphabetical list of names for upcoming tropical cyclones. These names are meant to be short, easy to pronounce, appropriate across languages and unique.

Erin was the fifth named storm of the season but became the first hurricane because the previous four storms never reached hurricane strength.

Are hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons the same thing?

When broken down to basics, yes, hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are all essentially the same thing. The only thing that differs is where they originated from. All three are storm systems with winds exceeding 119km/h (74mph).

Hurricanes: Occur in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific, often affecting the United States East Coast, the Gulf, and the Caribbean. The strength of a hurricane is measured on a wind scale from 1 to 5. A Category 1 hurricane will bring with it sustained winds of 119-153km/h (74-95mph), whereas a Category 5 storm can exceed 252km/h (157mph).

Cyclones: Occur in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, often impacting countries from Australia all the way to Mozambique. Cyclone season typically runs from November to April.

Typhoons: Occur in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, frequently hitting the Philippines and Japan. Typhoon season is most common between May and October, but they can form year-round. The strength of a typhoon has various classification scales with the most severe storms named “super typhoons”.

How does a tropical storm form?

Tropical storms form over warm ocean waters near the equator. As this warm air rises, an area of lower air pressure is formed. As the air cools down again, it is pushed aside by more warm air rising below it. This cycle causes strong winds and rain.

When this cycle gains momentum and strengthens, it creates a tropical storm. As the storm system rotates ever faster, an eye forms in the centre. The eye of the storm is very calm and clear and has very low air pressure.

When winds reach speeds of 63km/h (39mph) the storm is called a tropical storm. When the wind speeds reach 119km/h (74mph) the storm becomes a tropical cyclone, typhoon or hurricane.

Spain is tackling several major wildfires in one of its most destructive fire seasons in decades, fuelled by climate change, as the end of a severe 16-day heatwave and expected rainfall raised hopes that an end may be in sight.

Thousands of firefighters aided by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft continued on Tuesday to fight fires tearing through parched woodland that were especially severe in northwestern Spain, where the country’s weather agency AEMET reported a still “very high or extreme” fire risk — particularly in the Galicia region.

Authorities have suspended rail services and cut access to roads in the regions of Extremadura, Galicia, and Castile and Leon.

Firefighting units from Germany arrived in northern Spain on Tuesday to help fight the blazes, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior announced. More than 20 vehicles were deployed to help fight an ongoing blaze in Jarilla in the Extremadura region that borders Portugal, the ministry said.

Visiting the fires in Extremadura, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government would declare many of the affected areas as emergency zones, which in practice means they will be eligible to receive aid for reconstruction.

Blaming the fires on the effects of climate change, he also said he would propose a plan next month to turn climate emergency policies into permanent state policies.

“We’re seeing the climate emergency accelerate and worsen significantly, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, each year,” he said.

Opposition leaders have said his proposal is a way to divert attention from his government’s poor handling of the fires.

AEMET, which on Monday declared the end of one of the longest heatwaves in the past five decades, now expects temperatures to fall and humidity to rise. However, it said that adverse conditions would remain in southern Spain, including in part of Extremadura.

The fires in Spain have killed four people this year and burned more than 382,000 hectares (944,000 acres) or about 3,820 square kiolometres (1,475sq miles), according to the European Union’s European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

Many fires have been triggered by human activity. Police have detained 23 people for suspected arson and are investigating 89 more, Spain’s Civil Guard said.

The Spanish army has deployed 3,400 troops and 50 aircraft to help firefighters, while the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia have sent hundreds of firefighters, vehicles and aircraft.

Along the Iberian Peninsula in Portugal, more than 3,700 firefighters were tackling blazes, including four major ones in the north and centre.

Wildfires there have burned about 235,000 hectares or 907 square miles, according to EFFIS — nearly five times more than the 2006-2024 average for this period. Two people there have died.

“The devastation [from the wildfires] is enormous, it looks like an apocalyptic landscape,” said Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego, reporting from Coutada, Portugal.

“What is of immense concern to the firefighters is not just putting out the flames, which have gone out of control … but also the danger of reignition,” said Gallego.

Another challenge facing firefighters, she noted, is accessing “a source of water which is close enough where they can collect water and extinguish those flames.”

Most of Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades.

Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists say that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.

Thousands of firefighters, backed by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft, have battled more than 20 major wildfires raging across western Spain, where officials say a record area of land has already been burned.

Spain and neighbouring Portugal have been particularly affected by forest fires spurred by heatwaves and drought, blamed on climate change, that have hit southern Europe.

Two firefighters were killed on Sunday – one in each country, both in road accidents – taking the death toll to two in Portugal and four in Spain.

Spain’s civil protection chief, Virginia Barcones, told public television TVE that 23 blazes were classified as “operational level two”, meaning they pose a direct threat to nearby communities.

The fires, now entering their second week, are concentrated in the western regions of Castile and Leon, Galicia, and Extremadura, where thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.

More than 343,000 hectares (848,000 acres) of land – the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches – have been destroyed this year in Spain, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

The previous record of 306,000 hectares (756,142 acres) was set in the same period three years ago.

Help from abroad

Spain is being helped with firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, Slovakia, and the Netherlands, while Portugal is receiving air support from Sweden and Morocco.

However, the size and severity of the fires and the intensity of the smoke were making “airborne action” difficult, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles told TVE.

Across the border in Portugal, about 2,000 firefighters were deployed across the north and centre of the country on Monday, with about half of them concentrated in the town of Arganil.

About 216,000 hectares (533,747 acres) of land have been destroyed across Portugal since the start of the year.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the country had endured 24 days of weather conditions of “unprecedented severity”, with high temperatures and strong winds.

“We are at war, and we must triumph in this fight,” he added.

Officials in both countries expressed hope that the weather would turn to help tackle the fires.

Spain’s meteorological agency said the heatwave, which has seen temperatures hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the country, was coming to an end.

A new wave of flooding has swept through villages in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Officials say at least 20 people were killed when fresh monsoon rains added to the ongoing flood emergency in the region.

Rescuers are looking for more than 150 people who were still missing on Monday in northwestern Pakistan, which was devastated by landslides and flash floods on Friday.

Torrential rains triggered the flash foods killing at least 344 people and destroying hundreds of homes.

Most of the deaths – 317 – were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where monsoon rains, expected only to intensify in the days ahead, have driven flooding and landslides that collapsed houses.

More than 150 people are missing in Buner, where at least 208 were killed and “10 to 12 entire villages” were partially buried, according to authorities.

“They could be trapped under the rubble of their homes, or swept away by floodwaters,” said Asfandyar Khattak, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

“Separately, in Shangla district, dozens of people are also reported missing,” Khattak added.

The spokesman for the province’s rescue agency said about 2,000 rescue workers are involved across nine districts, where rain is still hampering efforts.

“The operation to rescue people trapped under debris is ongoing,” said Bilal Ahmad Faizi.

“The chances of those buried under the debris surviving are very slim,” he added.

After days without power, the electricity supply was restored on Sunday afternoon.

Flooded roads hampered the movement of rescue vehicles, as a few villagers worked to cut fallen trees to clear the way after the water receded.

The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and Battagram as disaster-hit areas.

On Saturday, hundreds gathered for mass funerals, where bodies wrapped in blood-stained white shawls were laid out on the village ground.

Iran said it stood ready to provide “any cooperation and assistance aimed at alleviating the suffering” in neighbouring Pakistan, while Pope Leo XIV addressed the flooding with prayers “for all those who suffer because of this calamity”.

The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall – vital for agriculture and food provision – but also brings destruction.

“The intensity of this year’s monsoon is about 50 to 60 percent more than last year,” said Lieutenant General Inam Haider, chairman of the national disaster agency.

“Two to three more monsoon spells are expected until the first weeks of September,” he told journalists in Islamabad.

Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September.

The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon have killed more than 650 people, with more than 920 injured.

Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency.

On August 4, 294 passengers were trapped on a flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and not allowed to disembark for almost 29 hours owing to a severe ‘Black Warning’.

Those boarding Cathay Pacific flight 883 on August 4, 2025, from Los Angeles to Hong Kong knew they were in it for the long haul — but little did they know exactly how long it would be.

In what can rightly be described as a nightmare flight from hell, 294 passengers were trapped on flight CX883 and not allowed to disembark for almost 29 hours.

While the initial journey from Los Angeles to Hong Kong averages around 13.5 hours, passengers aboard flight CX883 ended up spending almost twice that amount of time on the Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 due to a ‘black warning’ in Hong Kong at the time of landing. It comes after a ‘traumatised’ family are stranded at Palma Airport after being told they can’t board a Jet2 flight.

The Hong Kong Observatory issues a Black Rainstorm Warning in extreme weather conditions, which means over 70 mm of rain is expected to fall each hour increasing the likelihood of landslides, flooding, and severe disruption. In such cases, flights may be delayed, diverted, or cancelled.

And that’s exactly what happened with flight CX883.

After taking off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 12:55am local time, nearly 300 passengers onboard the Cathay Pacific flight made their way west across the Pacific.

After 13 hours, as the 15-year-old Boeing 777 craft began its final 5,000-foot descent into Hong Kong International Airport, the Black Warning was issued, and flight CX883 was diverted to Taipei to wait out the weather. The plane then landed at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport after 15 hours and 33 minutes since departing from LAX.

While it’s standard practice for Cathay Pacific to regularly divert to Taipei when a landing in Hong Kong is not possible — what’s unusual is Cathay Pacific’s decision not to allow passengers to disembark for another 10.5 hours citing immigration restrictions and international laws.

This resulted in the craft sitting at various remote stands on the tarmac, as per Flightradar24 . In fact, flight CX883 may have just broken the record for the world’s longest commercial flight in terms of duration spent by passengers inside the cabin.

Terrifying scenes from inside the flight were posted to the social media platform Threads by aircraft engineer Fahad Naim (@mfahadnaimb) with the caption: “On August 4th, a flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong set a new record for the longest continuous time spent in an airplane cabin.

“The flight, CX883, was delayed due to a thunderstorm in Hong Kong and was diverted to Taiwan. Passengers spent nearly 29 hours in the cabin, waiting for the weather to clear. The flight finally landed in Hong Kong on August 5th, and passengers applauded the pilot for a safe landing.”

Replying to a comment on his post, Fahad provided an insight into the situation inside the plane, writing: “I think the crew had it way harder because a lot of passengers were anxious and wanted to get off the plane. Plus, dealing with complaints and requests for food and drinks would make things even tougher for the flight attendants.”

At some point, Cathay Pacific was forced to swap out the pilots and cabin crew operating flight CX883, so as to ensure the crew were legally fit to finish out the final leg of the gruelling journey. The flight finally landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 7:15pm local time on August 5 — an astounding 28 hours and 20 minutes after its departure from the origin airport (LAX).

Hong Kong’s rare Black Rainstorm Warning comes as the city was battered with more than 350mm (13.8 inches) of rain in just a few hours on August 5 — making it the region’s most severe weather alert and the highest recorded daily rainfall in August since 1884 (when annual rainfall records started being kept).

The Mirror has approached Cathay Pacific for comment.

THOUSANDS were left without power after Hurricane Erin battered the Caribbean and hurtled towards the US – with the storm still expected to strengthen.

The hurricane, which is now category 3, brought heavy rainfall and vicious winds to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Sunday, cutting power for some 100,000 locals.

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Luma Energy, Puerto Rico’s private power grid operator, revealed that most of its customers on the island had working electricity by Sunday afternoon.

The operator said on X: “As of 5:00 p.m., 92.5% of customers have electrical service.

“The majority of affected customers are concentrated in the regions of Arecibo, Caguas, and San Juan, as the rain bands have been moving out of Puerto Rico.”

They added: “Our crews are working with precision to ensure safety and continuity of service.”

The storm caused “multiple interruptions across the island”, the company said earlier.

Hurricane Erin also saw two divers swept amid powerful waves near St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands.

They had to be rescued by local crews on Sunday, authorities announced.

Shocking footage showed taken by St. Croix Rescue Chief Jason Henry showed the divers being dramatically hauled over onto a boat.

On the island of Sint Maarten, footage showed palm trees swaying in violent winds.

Its local government said cleanup crews were clearing debris since Sunday morning.

A large amount of Sargassum seaweed also reached the shore – which could contain harmful toxins poisonous to people and marine life.

Erin has been labelled category 3 after multiple fluctuations in the last several days.

On Saturday it was considered to be a catastrophic category 5 hurricane.

Outer bands are continuing to sweep over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, pummelling coasts with heavy rain and strong winds.

Rainfall was recorded between two and four inches.

Up to six inches is likely to fall in some areas.

Fears are mounting that this could lead to flash flooding or mudslides.

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As of 5pm local time on Sunday, Erin was 275 miles north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It had maximum sustained winds of 125mph, and is reportedly currently moving west.

Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón warned residents to stay home if possible.

There are no reports of flooding on the island so far – but the worst weather is expected to impact the region within the next six hours, officials said.

Terrifying footage on X also showed heavy rain falling in Cidra in central Puerto Rico on Sunday.

The hurricane is expected to strengthen in the next two days before taking a north-ward turn on Monday and Tuesday.

The storm is then forecast to gradually weaken through the middle and latter half of next week as it passes between the US and Bermuda.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued in Turks and Caicos and the southeast Bahamas, according to authorities.

In Sierra Bayamón, Puerto Rico, a suspension insulator broke and a conductor fell to the ground because of the stormy weather.

Luma Energy also advised the public to avoid walking or driving through flooded areas, especially near downed power lines.

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Rescuers in northern Pakistan have pulled dozens of bodies overnight from homes ravaged by landslides and flash floods, taking the death toll to at least 321 in the past two days, according to disaster agencies.

Hundreds of rescue workers continue to search for survivors in the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan after torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding on Friday, washing away dozens of homes, according to the provincial Disaster Management Authority.

First responders are focusing recovery efforts in the villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura, which suffered the highest casualties on Friday, according to Bunar deputy commissioner Kashif Qayyum.

“We do not know from where the floodwater came, but it came so fast that many could not leave their homes,” said Mohammad Khan, 53, a Pir Baba resident.

Dr Mohammad Tariq at a Buner government hospital reported that most victims died before reaching medical care. “Many among the dead were children and men, while women were away in the hills collecting firewood and grazing cattle,” he said.

At least 307 casualties are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Above-average rainfall in Pakistan, which experts attribute to climate change, has triggered floods and mudslides that have killed approximately 541 people since June 2, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

In neighbouring Indian-administered Kashmir, floods have killed dozens and displaced hundreds in recent days.

Experts note that cloudbursts have become increasingly common in India’s Himalayan regions and Pakistan’s northern areas, with climate change being a significant contributing factor.

Pakistani officials report that since Thursday, rescuers have evacuated more than 3,500 tourists stranded in flood-affected areas nationwide, though many tourists continue to ignore government warnings to avoid these regions despite the risk of additional landslides and flash floods.

In 2022, Pakistan experienced its worst monsoon season on record, killing more than 1,700 people and causing approximately $40bn in damage.

Torrential rain struck Chisoti, a town in Kishtwar district in Indian-administered Kashmir, on Thursday morning.

At least 37 people have been killed after a sudden cloudburst unleashed torrential rain in Indian-administered Kashmir, a disaster management official said, marking the second major disaster in the Himalayas in just over a week.

The deluge struck Chisoti, a town in Kishtwar district, on Thursday morning. The site serves as a key stop along the pilgrimage route to the Machail Mata temple, a revered Himalayan shrine dedicated to Goddess Durga.

Television footage showed terrified pilgrims crying as water surged through the settlement.

Omar Abdullah, chief minister of the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir, described the situation as “grim” and said confirmed details were slow to emerge from the remote location.

Mohammed Irshad said rescue teams scouring the devastated Himalayan village of Chositi brought at least 100 people to safety.

“Dead bodies of 37 people have been recovered,” said Irshad, a top disaster management official, adding there was no count of any missing people available.

According to Ramesh Kumar, divisional commissioner of Kishtwar, the cloudburst hit at about 11:30am local time. He told ANI news agency that police and disaster response teams were on the ground, while army and air force units had also been mobilised. “Search and rescue operations are under way,” Kumar said.

An official, who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the flood swept away a community kitchen and a security post set up to serve pilgrims. “A large number of pilgrims had gathered for lunch and they were washed away,” the official told the news agency Reuters.

The India Meteorological Department defines a cloudburst as a sudden, extreme downpour exceeding 100mm of rain in an hour, often triggering flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions during the monsoon.

Last week, a similar disaster in Uttarakhand, another Himalayan state, buried an entire village under mud and debris after heavy rains.

The Srinagar weather office has warned of further intense rainfall in several parts of Kashmir, including Kishtwar, and urged residents to avoid unstable structures, power lines and old trees due to the risk of fresh landslides and flash floods.

Schools and workplaces close, hundreds of flights cancelled and thousands evacuate as Typhoon Podul nears island.

Thousands of people have evacuated, schools have closed, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled as Typhoon Podul approaches southern Taiwan with wind gusts as strong as 191kph (118 mph).

The mid-strength Typhoon Podul is expected to make landfall later on Wednesday, and was reported to be intensifying as it approached Taiwan’s southeastern city of Taitung, weather officials said.

Podul “is strengthening”, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lin Ting-yi said, with the typhoon on track to hit the sparsely populated Taitung County at about noon local time (04:00 GMT).

After making landfall, the storm is expected to hit Taiwan’s more densely populated western coast before moving into the Taiwan Strait and towards China’s southern province of Fujian later this week.

As much as 600mm (almost 24 inches) of rain has been forecast in southern mountainous areas over the next few days, the CWA said, while nine cities and counties announced the suspension of work and school, including the southern metropolises of Kaohsiung and Tainan.

Taiwan’s government said that more than 5,500 people had been evacuated in advance of the typhoon’s arrival, and all domestic flights – a total of 252 – as well as 129 international routes have been cancelled, the transport ministry said.

Typhoon Podul lashed Orchid Island with gusts of up to 155 kph at around 8 a.m. Wednesday, contributing to a power outage that hit 258 households in the island’s Tungching Village. Winds and rain were also intensifying in Taitung. pic.twitter.com/qaeCwFg9Vu

— Focus Taiwan (CNA English News) (@Focus_Taiwan) August 13, 2025

Taiwan’s two main international carriers, China Airlines and EVA Air, said their cancellations were for routes out of Kaohsiung, with some flights from the island’s main international airport at Taoyuan stopped as well.

In the capital, Taipei, which is home to Taiwan’s financial markets and is being spared the typhoon so far, residents reported clear skies and some sunshine.

Typhoon Danas, which hit Taiwan in early July, killed two people and injured hundreds as the storm dumped more than 500mm (19.6 inches) of rain across the south over a weekend, causing widespread landslides and flooding.

That was followed by torrential rain from July 28 to August 4, with some areas recording more than a year’s worth of rainfall in a single week. The week of bad weather left five people dead, three missing, and 78 injured, a disaster official said previously.

Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October, while scientists say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns.

LIDL is selling a range of budget-friendly camping gadgets as Brits soak up the sunny weather.

The discount supermarket chain is stocking kids’ sleeping bags and chairs, cool boxes and even an air mattress.

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The new range will be perfect for camping during the end of summer and autumn and getting outdoors to make the last of the year’s light.

There are 30 items Crivit Camping range that range from air mattresses to cool boxes.

And some even have a discount attached to them.

For example, the camping cutlery set selling for £9.99 now has 20 per cent with Lidl Plus and is selling for £7.99.

The Crivit Aluminium Camping Table normally sells for £24.99, but with the Lidl Plus card is currently selling for £19.99.

The air mattress in a double size is selling for £14.99, while sleeping bags are selling for £12.99.

A range of four cool bags are selling for £3.99 while backpacks are selling for £14.99.

It comes after Crivit released a number of tents and festival gear for summer at Lidl several months ago.

The incredible Crivit camping range has everything festival-goers need to set themselves up in the Wilderness, including the 4-Person Blackout Tent – popping up in stores for just £99.00 with Lidl Plus.

Crivit was even selling stand up paddleboards at supermarkets.

The Crivit All-Round Inflatable SUP is priced at just £99.99, and was available at Lidl stores from Thursday May 29.

This bargain bed comes after Lidl have begun selling ice cool gel pillows that are easy to use and would be perfect for keeping cool on those hot car trips.

For just £7.99 on the Lidl plus app, shoppers can get their hands on the Silentnight Cooling Gel Pillow Pad.

That’s more than £12 cheaper than a similar product on Argos, with the low price available until June 7.

Described as perfect for restless sleepers and over heaters, the pillow give you instant cooling comfort, so you don’t need to flip your pillow during the night.

At 60x40cm it covers your entire pillow and simply needs to be slid inside your pillowcase on top of your normal pillow.

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Around 20,000 passengers have been affected by flight cancellations, delays and rerouting.

Torrential rains have forced Mexico City’s main airport to suspend numerous flights for multiple hours for a second consecutive day, causing chaos in one of Latin America’s busiest travel hubs.

Authorities at Benito Juarez International Airport said on Tuesday that all runways were operating again by midday, after all flights were suspended for at least four hours earlier that day. Around 20,000 passengers were affected by flight cancellations, delays and rerouting.

The Mexican capital is experiencing one of its heaviest rainy seasons in years, leading to constant flooding in other parts of the city.

Passengers have reported numerous cancellations and delays this week as heavy rains fall on the capital.

Alicia Nicanor, 69, said her Sunday flight to the northern city of Tijuana was cancelled, and when she returned Tuesday morning for her early morning flight, it was also cancelled.

“I told them I have to go because I have an important appointment with my doctor, but they didn’t listen,” she said.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said heavy rains on Sunday flooded the city’s main plaza, known as the Zocalo, with more than 76mm (3 inches) of water, much of which poured down in just 20 minutes. It broke a record set in 1952.

Meanwhile, videos from the city’s south showed cars floating on flooded streets. The flooding has fuelled criticism by some in the capital, who call it a sign of larger infrastructure failures by the city’s government.