The low-pressure system responsible for Spain’s most devastating floods in decades in Valencia also set new rainfall records across south-eastern Spain. In Jerez de la Frontera, 115mm of rain fell in just 24 hours on Wednesday – the wettest day on record for the southern Spanish city. The deluge caused widespread flooding and road closures, and there is a heightened risk that the River Barbate in Cádiz could overflow as more rain is forecast through Friday and into the weekend.
While the rare red warning issued on Thursday for Valencia has expired, Spain’s national meteorological service, Aemet, has maintained yellow and orange rainfall warnings for southern and Mediterranean regions as storms continue to push in.
Also this week, severe thunderstorms in north-eastern South Africa prompted the South African Weather Service to issue a yellow warning as strong winds, hail and heavy rain swept across the region. On Monday and Tuesday, the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga reported more than 40 injuries and four fatalities due to collapsing buildings and flying debris. Hailstones caused severe damage to more than 30 schools, while flooding led to road closures and widespread power outages.
Over in Japan a dismal new October record has been set for the longest period without snow atop of Mount Fuji. The previous record, set in 1955, was when the first snow arrived as late as 26 October. Snow typically falls on Mount Fuji in early October, with the first flakes appearing last year on 5 October. Warm conditions throughout the summer and high sea temperatures have contributed to the lack of snow, which is likely to continue for several more days.
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Meanwhile, northern parts of Western Australia (WA) have experienced unseasonably high temperatures in the last few days. The town of Roebourne, in the Pilbara region of WA, recorded a record-high temperature of 45.3C over the weekend, Australia’s highest October temperature in 15 years. Over the following days, a cold front will move in from the north, alleviating temperatures. However, this heat will migrate across central and southern Australia over the weekend, with temperatures reaching around 34C in Adelaide on Saturday, and 36C in Sydney on Sunday, 12C and 10C above the seasonal averages respectively.
