Flooding and landslides cause chaos in Hong Kong by Jo Farrow
Hong Kong has seen some torrential downpours of rain, with up to 215mm (8½ inches) falling in just 12 hours. Traffic has been in chaos, schools have closed, and rough seas have led to the cancellation of ferry services. Around 58 cases of flooding were reported across the territory and landslides have occurred in some places. People have even had to leave their homes, with temporary shelters being set up. More heavy and thundery downpours are forecast through the weekend, so more problems could arise.
A violent electrical storm struck the Paris region of France on Thursday. Hundreds of houses were flooded, there were fallen trees, and fire fighters received a large numbers of calls from concerned members of the public. Transportation was disrupted in the city, with two rail lines affected, and all flights from airports suspended for over an hour.
The source of energy for the storms across France has come from the sweltering heat that has been affecting Europe in the past week. Temperatures soared to 36C (97F) outside Paris earlier this week, almost at record-breaking levels.
Other parts of Europe have not only been hot, but have also been very dry. Spain, Portugal and Italy are all suffering drought conditions. Portugal is particularly affected, with 80% of the country in severe drought. Farmers in the northern Po Valley, Italy, are concerned that water supplies are getting to dangerously low levels.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia is up against some raging forest fires, having had some hot, dry and windy weather recently. Winds of up to 45mph have been fanning the flames, making it increasingly difficult for fire fighters to get the fires under control. So far, 2,330 hectares of forest are in flames, but fortunately, no populated areas have been hit.
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