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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.
Farmers in Hebi, Henan province, water newly sown corn in June 2024 after an El Nino event that lasted around a year. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
China food security

China’s farmers face dual threats from El Nino and Iran war, analysts say

They warn that country’s fragmented farms are less resilient to natural disasters than bigger, more mechanised operations.

Climate change

Tropical forest loss still 11 football fields a minute – or Denmark per year

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Hong Kong environmental issues

Watchdog urges Hong Kong Observatory to better explain typhoon warning decisions

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Hong Kong weather

Amber rainstorm warning issued as thunderstorms hit Hong Kong

Forecaster earlier warned that flooding could occur in some low-lying and poorly drained areas.

Hong Kong’s weather forecaster issued an amber rainstorm warning on Wednesday. Photo: Jelly Tse
Thailand

‘Hard to breathe’: Southeast Asia’s workers reel from warmer offices, heatwave

‘The canteen and even the 7-Eleven downstairs are cooler than our office, which is why people end up gathering there,’ a Thai worker says.

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Bangladesh

Child, newlywed among 14 killed by lightning in Bangladesh

Lightning kills ‌hundreds of people every year in ⁠Bangladesh, which ⁠declared lightning strikes a natural disaster in 2016.

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Japan

Wildfires in Japan’s north worsen, 1,400 firefighters deployed

Japan has experienced relatively few wildfires compared with other parts of the world, but climate change has increased their frequency.

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A convoy of fire trucks make their way to the fire in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northern Honshu, Japan on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Japan

‘I hope it rains’: Japan battles wildfires, thousands evacuate

The affected area includes a coastal town that lost almost a tenth of its population during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

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Natural disasters

Video | Northern Japan battles large wildfires

2,500 residents forced to evacuate as wildfires burn for a second day in Japan’s northern Iwate prefecture.

Weather

Searchers find body of 1 of 6 missing crew members after typhoon overturns ship

The crew of the Mariana notified the US Coast Guard on April 15 that the vessel lost its starboard engine during Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

A satellite image shows Carolinas Heights after Typhoon Sinlaku, in Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands on April 17, 2026. Photo: via Reuters
India

Saved by water bell? Indian schools hit on novel idea to tackle brutal heatwave

The India Meteorological Department has issued a ‘yellow alert’ for New Delhi, with temperatures expected to rise to a high of 44 degrees.

A tricycle rider transports school children home in Kolkata on Friday. Photo: AP
Malaysia

‘River of mud’ in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands prompts accountability calls

Environmental NGO calls on authorities to adopt a more responsible approach when granting approvals for development projects in the area.

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New Zealand

New Zealand tells Wellington residents to evacuate as rain threat worsens

Wellington had received 77mm of rain ‌in less than an hour, its heaviest rainfall on record.

Science

China warns strong El Nino this year may worsen global fossil fuel crisis

National Climate Centre says higher temperatures and extreme weather could create ‘damaging loop’ that hits the climate and the economy.

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A strong El Nino can increase the risk of floods and other extreme weather events. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Blaze in Malaysia’s Sabah destroys 1,000 homes, displaces over 9,000

The proximity of houses in the water village allowed the fire to spread quickly. Over 9,000 people have been affected, though no deaths have been reported.

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The Kampung Bahagia water village after a fire, in Sandakan, on Malaysia’s Borneo island, in Sabah state on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Pacific nations

Super Typhoon Sinlakua bears down on group of remote US islands in Pacific Ocean

Trump has approved emergency help for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where Sinlakua is expected to make landfall on Tuesday.

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Hong Kong workers/labour rights

Hong Kong expands heat stress monitoring to better protect outdoor workers

Data to be used from eight additional sites across city in effort to provide more accurate readings and issue faster warnings.

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Pacific nations

Australia pledges US$1.7 million in aid after Cyclone Maila kills 11 in Pacific

Entire villages were destroyed in the storm, was briefly classified as a Category 5 cyclone.

A truck is engulfed by floodwaters brought on by heavy rains from tropical cyclone Maila in the Tinputz district of Northern Bougainville. Photo: AFP
Russia

Floods kill 5 in Russia, thousands evacuated after dam wall breaks

Social media videos showed villages and highways engulfed by water as the emergencies ministry said further heavy downpours are expected.

Germany

Tree tragedy and ‘polonium’ scare mar Easter egg hunts in Germany

Infant among three killed by falling tree in the north while discovery of ‘radioactive’ vial triggers major hazmat response in the south.

Australia

Australia’s Karratha LNG plant closed after cyclone amid fuel shortages

The plant’s co-owner Chevron said it suffered outages at its Gorgon and Wheatstone gas plants, which supply more than five per cent of the world’s liquefied natural gas.

An LNG tanker from the Karratha LNG Plant, off the coast of Western Australia, Australia, in 2003. Photo: SCMP
Climate change

Editorial | Community preparation is key as Hong Kong braces for extreme weather

As the city explores green infrastructure and AI forecasting as mitigation solutions, residents must also take up the mantle of safety.

People brave the rain at Wan Chai promenade while a black rainstorm warning is issued by the Hong Kong Observatory on August 14, 2025. Photo: Nora Tam
Malaysia

Malaysia’s weather is so hot that it can warp a payment card

Rice fields are drying out in the northern region, while heat-related health cases are rising across the country.

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Climate change

‘Flashing red’: UN alarmed as heat trapped by Earth hits record high

UN chief warns of a state of emergency as 2015–2025 is confirmed as the hottest decade on record.

United States

‘Pray for us’: Hawaii dam could fail amid worst flooding in 20 years

Raging waters have lifted homes and cars in the US state and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of people.

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The remains of a house against a bridge in Hawaii’s northern Oahu. Photo: Handout via AFP
Climate change

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

Nepal’s Mera Glacier is among the handful of glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region that meets the World Glacier Monitoring Service’s benchmark standards. Photo: Patrick Wagnon/ICIMOD
Weather

Record-breaking heatwave grips western US at tail end of winter

Arizona community hits 43.3 degrees Celsius, the highest March temperature recorded in the US.

Hong Kong society

Couple to face child neglect charges after son swept into sea during typhoon

Five-year-old’s parents arrested in January after they took family to Hong Kong waterfront amid No 8 typhoon warning signal last September.

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