Deadly flash floods struck northern Iraq on Saturday as severe thunderstorms swept across the region, affecting neighbouring Iran as well. The city of Erbil in northern Iraq suffered the worst of the impact, sustaining extensive damage to residential and commercial properties.
Streets across the city were quickly inundated when torrential rain poured down over a very short period. Precipitation levels far exceeded meteorological forecasts for the area. Forecasters had anticipated about 30mm of rain, but Erbil recorded an estimated 80mm.
Local authorities confirmed that two people lost their lives during the sudden flooding.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Storm Bruna is predicted to bring powerful winds to Portugal, focusing mainly on the western coast. Forecasters expect gusts to reach 50mph, accompanied by heavy rain and thunderstorms. Total rainfall in Portugal could climb to 200mm before the end of the week.
The same storm system previously impacted the Canary Islands, where Tenerife registered a wind gust of 80mph on Saturday night.
Japan faced winter weather with snow at the end of last week, and more snowfall is forecast for Hokkaido and mountain areas on Honshu. Temperatures across Japan are dropping below normal seasonal averages early this week. Sapporo in Hokkaido anticipates maximum temperatures between 4C and 6C, with a high of 0C on Tuesday and minimums dropping to -6C by Wednesday.
Ski resorts in Japan are preparing for visitors after the snowfall that started on Friday. Kiroro and Niseko expect total snowfall of 30cm to 50cm, while Furano, Rusutsu and Sapporo anticipate 20cm to 30cm.
Peru continues to experience air temperatures 5C to 10C above seasonal averages due to El Nino effects, with warm conditions expected to persist.
