Taiwan faces a big clear-up after Typhoon Dujuan, which killed at least two people, injured more than 300, displaced thousands and left nearly half a million without power. On Monday night Dujuan made landfall in north Taiwan with wind speeds exceeding 150mph along the island’s east coast. It was accompanied by torrential rain triggering multiple landslides.
The heaviest rain was in north-east Taiwan in the mountainous Wulai district where more than 90cm (35in) fell – nearly a third of the country’s annual rainfall. Dujuan is the 21st typhoon of the season. It developed from a tropical depression to a category 4 typhoon before it reached Taiwan, where it weakened, becoming a tropical cyclone as it moved into mainland China.
On Tuesday afternoon a severe thunderstorm hit Brisbane, Australia. It had moved towards the coast bringing with it 10,000 lightning strikes that hit the city in less than two hours. The storm moved across the city in the afternoon producing dark skies, hammering hail, torrential rain and gusty winds, and cutting the power to more than 4,500 properties, as well as causing flight delays and road accidents.
Last Friday may have been a warm autumn day for most in the UK, but in Fairbanks, Alaska, winter arrived early with a blanket of snow. On average Fairbanks gets about 5cm of snow in September; last Friday more than 15cm was measured at Fairbanks International Airport, making the third heaviest September snow-day on record. Wintry weather looks set to continue in Alaska, with up to 30cm of snow forecast for this week.
