Flash floods in southwest and northwest China have left at least a dozen dead and put thousands of others in harm's way.
In the southwestern province of Sichuan, at least six people have died and another 12 are missing after torrential rain triggered flash floods, state-owned news outlet CGTN reported on Sunday. Meanwhile, in Longnan city in the northwestern province of Gansu, another six deaths were reported and 3,000 people have been evacuated, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Rainfall in 1 1/2 day was as much as 98.9 millimetres in the worst affected areas, almost double the July average. The rains come amid a heatwave in parts of the country including eastern Zhejiang province and the city of Shanghai, with temperatures soaring as high as 42 degrees Celsius last week.Experts say such extreme weather events are becoming more likely because of climate change. Warmer air can store more water, leading to bigger cloudbursts when it’s released.In Germany, low water levels in the Rhine due to droughts have disrupted the supply chain for commodities into the country.
Heatwaves have also hit the southern part of the US, with temperatures expected to soar over 38 C in the coming days.