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Extreme weather

Extreme weather
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Extreme weather. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A surfer in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, where global sea surface temperatures have risen. Photo: AFP
Science

Hottest ocean temperature recorded as ‘super’ El Nino forms

Average surface waters reached 21.1 degrees Celsius, months ahead of when peak global ocean temperatures typically occur.

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Hong Kong weather

Typhoon signal in Hong Kong unlikely in next 2 days but expect unsettled weather

Indonesia

Video | ‘Superman ’ helps fight Indonesian wildfires

Britain

Homes crack as London heatwaves trigger record subsidence claims

Five successive heatwaves have led to a surge in structural damage claims in the UK capital this summer.

People walk across the parched parklands at Primrose Hill in London, Britain, in August. The UK has experienced five successive heatwaves this summer, causing record subsidence claims. Photo: EPA
Indonesia

Indonesia arrests 72 suspected of starting forest fires as haze persists

Investigators are tracing financial records to determine whether companies have financed or ordered the land clearing linked to fire cases.

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Indonesia

Indonesian teen with ‘Superman’ cape fights haze fires, ‘forest hero’ hailed

The teen has been using his free time after school to help his father douse fires since 2023, as videos of his feats have gone viral.

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Hong Kong weather

Hong Kong may issue typhoon signal on Tuesday or Wednesday as Narra approaches

Observatory says storm expected to head towards southwestern tip of Guangdong province early next week.

Tourists visit the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront during stormy weather in July. The Observatory is assessing the need to issue a typhoon signal early next week. Photo: Jelly Tse
Climate change

Video | Asia’s top climate expert warns of ‘humanitarian disasters’

Professor Ben Horton paints grim picture as climate change destabilises weather patterns, predicting things will only get worse if no action is taken now.

Panama

Panama Canal to reduce shipping over El Nino-fuelled drought

Further restrictions on the Atlantic-Pacific waterway are likely due to low water levels in artificial lakes that feed the canal.

Indonesia

1,500 Indonesian soldiers deployed to fight Borneo wildfires

Fires between January and July burned over 200,000 hectares of land, driven by a powerful El Nino weather pattern causing dry conditions across the country.

The Kampung Bahagia water village after a fire, in Sandakan, on Malaysia’s Borneo island on April 19. Photo: AFP
China energy security

In Focus | China, the US and EU are taking separate climate paths – but are any dead ends?

As Beijing enacts a state-led approach to climate adaptation, Washington leans on the private sector and Brussels tries to chart a middle way.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
The Philippines

Philippine flood-control scandal resurfaces after latest monsoon deluge

The controversy is again haunting President Marcos as flooded communities see little progress from his promised anti-corruption push.

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France

7,300 excess deaths and counting as France battles historically hot summer

The country has endured a record 52 days of heatwaves since mid-June, a new analysis shows.

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China exports

Shanghai Port sees Christmas shipment delays as twin typhoons create backlog

The extreme weather arrives during a prolonged pre-Christmas peak shipping season for the port.

A container ship leaves the Yangshan deep water port in Shanghai. Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong weather

Letters | Hong Kong mustn’t use the wrong index to gauge outdoor heat stress

Readers discuss how to better assess heat exposure at work, the accessibility of the Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry documents, and the US-Iran war.

Construction workers rest during extremely hot weather in To Kwa Wan on August 10. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature reflects solar radiation more accurately than the Hong Kong Heat Index and should be used to assess heat stress for outdoor workers. Photo: Sam Tsang
Britain

‘Inhumane’: UK’s extreme heat pushes NHS staff, patients to limit

In hospitals built for a cooler climate, staff are dealing with patients too sweaty to receive drips and colleagues collapsing on the job.

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Hong Kong workers/labour rights

Letters | Practical ways to protect workers and projects in very hot weather

Readers discuss balancing worker safety with the realities of major infrastructure programmes, a rehydration solution for outdoor workers, problems to be fixed, and what a social media ban should include.

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Indonesia

Thousands in Indonesia await aid after quake kills 68

The aftershock comes two days after a magnitude 7.7 quake shook six regencies on the predominantly Catholic island.

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Rescuers evacuate an injured person on Sunday after an earthquake on Flores Island, Indonesia. Photo: Basarnas/Xinhua)
European Union

Belgium battles worst wildfire on record, EU allies come to aid

Helicopters from the Czech Republic and Swedish water-bombing aircraft were due to arrive under the European Union civil protection mechanism.

China’s private sector

South China tech hub’s wet summer puts damper on small business profits

Shenzhen’s wettest July in more than three decades saw foot traffic plummet and also caused severe disruption to airline schedules.

Hong Kong society

Hongkongers stranded after storm disrupts trains and roads to Narita airport

Hong Kong tour groups in Tokyo forced to seek alternative routes, with some travellers stuck overnight at various locations.

A flooded road in Ichikawa, Chiba prefecture, on Thursday night. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

Heavy rains in Japan leave 8 dead, thousands stranded at Narita airport

Record rainfall in Chiba prefecture inundates transport routes, cuts power to thousands and disrupts peak holiday travel near Tokyo.

Cars make their way through flooded roads after heavy rains in Chiba prefecture, Japan, on Friday. Photo: AP
Hong Kong environmental issues

Why is Hong Kong’s heat-stress warning system for outdoor workers in the hot seat?

Heat Stress at Work Warning system is intended to alert outdoor manual workers and those indoors with limited ventilation to risks.

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Laos

‘Struggling to help’: surging waters leave Mekong communities without aid

Tens of thousands have been displaced in Laos and Myanmar, with rescue efforts hampered by threadbare resources.

Hong Kong weather

How Hong Kong can protect manual workers bearing brunt of heatwave

Heatwave has taken toll on indoor and outdoor workers, triggering calls for authorities to review heat stress prevention measures.

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A construction worker carries an electric fan amid the extreme heat. Photo: Sam Tsang
Britain

UK nurses report ‘inhumane’ heat in hospitals and care homes during heatwave

The Royal College of Nursing warns staff are collapsing as wards top 30 degrees Celsius while emergency services face record summer demand.

A person lying next to water refill points at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, UK, on Wednesday. An amber weather warning has been issued as another heatwave sweeps across the UK. Photo: EPA
Science

Beijing’s tree die-off shows hidden risks of rapid underground water recovery

Thousands of trees die in Jinzhandian Park, a lush flood-storage wetland, amid exceptionally wet and rainy summer.

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Hong Kong weather

Higher energy demand from Hong Kong heatwave could trigger outages, expert warns

Funeral industry worker says outage at parlour forced staff ‘to carry bodies up stairs’ and ask mourners ‘not to light incense’.

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