Storm Adam brought torrential rain to eastern Spain earlier this week. In Pego, Alicante, ۶۳۲mm fell in ۳۶ hours with ۴۳۰mm of this falling in just six hours, while the Valencian town of Olivia received ۶۰۰mm in ۲۴ hours. As a result, ۱۴۵ municipalities, approximately ۸۵۰,۰۰۰ people, across Valencia and Alicante were placed in a temporary lockdown on Monday due to the severe flooding.
At least five people have died and ۵۰۰ have been rescued and ۲,۱۰۰ evacuated. The storm also affected the Balearic Islands, with more than ۱۳۰ incidents recorded in Ibiza including standing water at the airport, which caused some flights to be diverted or suspended. Although the worst of the storm has passed and conditions improving across Valencia and Alicante, local disruption is expected to continue.
The first named storm of the winter for the UK is currently tracking through the Channel. Storm Austen is bringing damaging winds not only to south-west England and Wales, but also south-west Ireland and northern France. Gusts are expected to be around ۵۰-۶۰mph, but some exposed north-western coasts of France could experience winds of up to ۸۰-۹۰mph.
Following quickly on from Storm Austen is another deep low pressure system, Storm Boelo, which is expected to track across northern Scotland on Saturday into Sunday. Much of the UK and Ireland will see very unsettled conditions with further damaging winds and heavy and prolonged rain. Western Scotland will face the strongest gusts, but the rest of the UK and Ireland will see ۴۰-۵۵mph winds. Western parts of Ireland will experience ۵۰-۶۰mph winds with up to ۷۰-۸۰mph in exposed parts of north-west Ireland, similar to western Scotland. Again, heavy rain associated with Storm Boelo will reach ۱۰-۲۰mm with as much as ۳۰-۶۰mm in western parts of Ireland, Wales and south-west England. This, on top of the rainfall from Storm Austen, will increase the risk of flooding.
Super Typhoon Champi is headed towards China and Japan over the weekend after passing north-eastern Taiwan on Friday. While it has weakened since Wednesday, it is still a significant typhoon with the equivalent strength of a category ۵ hurricane, producing ۱۸۵mph gusts and sustained winds of ۱۲۱ mph.Following torrential rain associated with the typhoon this week, up to ۹۰۰mm of rain is forecast to fall in the mountainous regions of northern and eastern Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday. As a result, there are school closures, cancelled flights and six-metre waves, with more impacts to come over the next few days.
