Weather tracker: Severe thunderstorms sweep Europe and east Asia | Extreme weather
Severe storms that ravaged the Balkans last week caused widespread destruction in many regions. The storms developed as a result of unstable warm air coming over the Adriatic Sea and a cold front moving southeastward.
The cold front began its journey southward in Slovenia on June 10, where the Slovenian Environment Agency recorded winds of up to 65 mph at Ljubljana airport. Heavy rain also fell widely across the region, with 23 mm reported in Kranj.
In addition to the heavy rain, golf ball-sized hail fell as the front moved southeast towards Croatia. One of the worst affected areas was the Komenda municipality; The local fire department here reported that more than 100 buildings were damaged, with some houses having their roofs ripped off due to strong winds. In the early hours of June 11, the storm moved southeastward into parts of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, then towards Greece on June 12.
While the Hong Kong observatory issued a black rainstorm warning on Thursday, conditions were similar on the other side of Eurasia. When a black alert is issued, outdoor workers are expected to take shelter until the environment is safe and schools are closed.
Hourly rainfall totals exceeded 70 mm; This comes just 10 days after widespread flooding came to the area following the first on-the-ground warning on June 8. Rain is not the only danger hitting the region, as wind speeds reached 80 kilometers per hour in the Tai O region.
France has recently experienced heatwave conditions with temperatures reaching the mid-to-high 30s degrees Celsius, affecting large parts of the country. The heat will not subside as temperatures are expected to reach 41 degrees in the coming days.
This heatwave was particularly unusual and will continue to be so as much of the heat is concentrated in climatologically cooler northern and western France, such as the Rhone valley, which records the highest temperatures in heatwaves.
