• Rare dust storm, hail, and extreme winds hit Harbin as multi-hazard event unfolds in Northeast China

    ByRishav Kothari

    A rare dust storm accompanied by winds of up to 148 km/h (92 mph) struck Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, at around 17:00 LT on May 31, causing widespread damage, reducing visibility to less than 100 m (328 feet), and disrupting transportation and public events across the city. The same atmospheric setup also produced a tornado in Changling County, Jilin Province, as a broader outbreak of severe weather affected parts of Northeast China.

  • Wildfires caused record losses in 2025 despite having the second-lowest burn area since 2002

    ByRishav Kothari

    A new study found that 335 million ha (828 million ha) burned worldwide in 2025, the second-lowest global wildfire total since 2002 and 16% below the long-term average. Despite that, 2025 became the costliest year on record for insured wildfire losses globally, with more than 300 000 evacuations and over 90 fatalities linked to major fires in Canada, the United States, Europe, and South Korea.

  • Bombing low brings destructive winds, heavy rain, and coastal hazards to southwest Western Australia

    ByRishav Kothari

    A rapidly deepening low-pressure system southwest of Western Australia is bringing damaging to destructive winds, severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, and coastal hazards to broad areas of the state’s southwest on Sunday, May 31, 2026. Wind gusts of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) are possible southwest of a line from Lancelin to Albany, including the Perth metropolitan area, while dangerous surf, coastal erosion, and inundation affect exposed sections of the coast.

  • Flooding concerns grow in Montana as severe storms threaten parts of the Plains

    ByRishav Kothari

    A storm system moving from the Great Basin into the Northern Rockies is expected to bring widespread rain, flooding concerns, and severe thunderstorms across multiple U.S. regions through June 1, 2026. The highest rainfall threat is forecast across portions of Montana on May 30, 2026, while severe storms capable of producing damaging winds and large hail are expected across parts of Nebraska and South Dakota.

  • Portugal breaks national May temperature record with 40.3°C (104.5°F) in Mora

    ByTeo Blašković

    Portugal set a new national May temperature record on May 27, 2026, after Mora reached 40.3°C (104.5°F) during an early-season heatwave, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). The reading surpassed the previous May extreme of 40°C (104°F), recorded at Pinhão on May 30, 1953, and matched at Termas de Monfortinho on May 30 and 31, 2001.