Spain and Portugal have been battered by yet another storm, Storm Marta, which swept across the Iberian peninsula on Saturday, bringing torrential rain and claiming two lives. This comes just days after Storm Kristin and Storm Leonardo caused deadly flooding and extensive damage, with Kristin killing at least five people on 28 January and Leonardo claiming another victim last Wednesday.
The outlook for this week indicates more rain across Spain, Portugal, and France, particularly in north-west Portugal, where over 100mm of rainfall is possible during the first half of the week. The heaviest rain is expected to shift to southern Italy and western parts of Greece and Turkey later in the week.
In southern Africa, high rainfall totals are forecast for parts of South Africa and Lesotho this week. By Saturday, provinces including the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape could see widespread rainfall of 80-100mm due to heavy showers or thunderstorms, with daily totals potentially reaching 50mm. The South African Weather Service has issued warnings for severe thunderstorms, with risks of excessive lightning, gusty winds, and hail, leading to potential flooding, mudslides, and infrastructure damage affecting over 10 million people.
Meanwhile, Japan and Korea experienced continued cold weather last week, with temperatures remaining below average and peaking over the weekend. Tokyo saw temperatures nearly 10C below average on Sunday, struggling to rise above zero, accompanied by snowfall. Western Japan, particularly the Hokuriku region, recorded over 50cm of snow in 24 hours. Temperatures are expected to rise quickly later this week, reaching the mid to high teens in Tokyo by the weekend.
