GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

JULY 2025

UNITED STATES

The eastern half of the US is facing a significant heatwave, with more than 185 million people under warnings due to intense and widespread heat conditions on Monday. The south-east is likely to endure the most dangerous temperatures as the extreme heat spreads across the region on Monday, spanning from the Carolinas through Florida. In these areas, heat index values (how hot it feels once humidity is accounted for) are forecast to range between 105 and 113F (40.5 to 45C). Some locations in Mississippi and Louisiana face an even greater threat, with the heat index possibly soaring as high as 120°F (49 °C). Meanwhile, the Midwest isn’t escaping the heat. Conditions remain hazardous into Monday and Tuesday, following a weekend during which temperatures felt as if they were between 97 and 111°F (36 to 44 °C) in areas from Lincoln, Nebraska, north to Minneapolis. Cities such as Des Moines, St Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, Jacksonville, and Raleigh are under extreme heat warnings. In these locations, temperatures will climb into the mid-90s and low 100s, with heat indices potentially reaching 110 to 115°F. The most dangerous conditions, classified as level 4 out of 4 on the heat risk scale, encompass much of Florida and extend north into Georgia and the Carolinas. A broader level 3 zone stretches from the eastern plains through the Midwest and into the mid-Atlantic. This follows a weekend already dominated by extreme temperatures.  Tampa experienced an unprecedented milestone on Sunday when it reached 100°F (37.8C °C). Other cities also broke daily temperature records, and more are expected to follow suit. The dangerous heat and humidity are expected to persist through midweek, affecting major metropolitan areas including St Louis, Memphis, Charlotte, Savannah, Tampa and Jackson, Mississippi. Actual air temperatures will climb into the upper 90s and low 100s, while heat index readings are expected to remain between 105 and 115°F for several days due to high tropical moisture.

At least two people were killed Monday evening in New Jersey amid heavy rain and flooding in that state and New York, according to authorities. The pair died in the city of Plainfield when the car they were in was swept into Cedar Brook during flash flooding, local officials announced on Facebook. Both deaths occurred as heavy rain swept across parts of the US northeast on Monday night, inundating communities and stranding vehicles on roadways. The tempestuous weather also closed subway lines and led to a declaration of a state of emergency. Most flash flood watches and warnings expired in parts of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania as the rain moved on, but some roads and streets were still flooded as of Tuesday morning. New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy, declared a state of emergency due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall, advising people to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. A video posted to social media by CBS showed flood waters bringing a major roadway in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, to a standstill, stranding buses.

More heavy rains in Texas on Sunday paused a weeklong search for victims of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River and led to high-water rescues elsewhere as officials warned that the downpours could again cause waterways to surge. It was the first time a new round of severe weather had paused the search since the 4 July floods, which killed at least 129 people. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County. In Kerrville, where local officials have come under scrutiny about the warnings given to residents, authorities went door to door to some homes after midnight early on Sunday to alert people that flooding was again possible. Authorities also pushed alerts to the phones of those in the area.  A statement put out by Kerrville city officials urged residents not to attempt to travel unless they were fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.  “Please keep watch on low-water crossings and seek higher ground if flooding begins. Turn around, don’t drown!” the city officials added.  According to new alerts put out by the National Weather Service, the flash flood risk continues this morning across portions of the Texas Hill Country.  “The extent and magnitude of the event has lowered from what occurred last night into the early morning hours; however, some additional flash flood impacts are likely ... and localized significant impacts remain possible,” the NWS said.

It also warned earlier this morning that a flash flood warning was in effect for western Llano and northwestern Gillespie, with significant rain having fallen and flooding expected, particularly over Llano County.  Similarly, a flash flood warning remains in effect for Buchanan Dam, Buchanan Lake and Valley Spring until 3.45 pm CT, as well as for Watson and Briggs until 4 pm CT.  As part of its warnings, the NWS has urged residents to move immediately to higher ground, as well as avoid walking or driving through flood waters.

Ingram fire department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search-and-rescue efforts were expected to resume on Monday, depending on river flow, a fire department spokesperson, Brian Lochte, said. “We’re working with a few crews and airboats and SAR [search-and-rescue] boats just in case,” Lochte said.  As heavy rain fell on Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters warned that the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 15ft (4.6 meters) by Sunday afternoon, about 5ft above flood stage and enough to put the Highway 39 bridge underwater in Hunt, the small town where Camp Mystic is located along the river.  “Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,” a weather service warning said.  The rains were also causing other waterways to swell farther north in Texas, where emergency crews rescued one motorist who was left stranded in waist-high rapids on a submerged bridge over the Bosque River. The man leaned onto the vehicle for support as crews tried to reach him with life jackets.

“He drove into it and didn’t realize how deep it was,” said Jeff Douglas, the president of the McGregor volunteer fire department. “Luckily he was able to stand next to the vehicle.”

Under heavy rain, Matthew Stone was clearing branches and a log from a storm sewer in front of his home on Guadalupe Street in Kerrville on Sunday as several inches of water pooled up on the road.  Multiple houses on the street overlooking the Guadalupe River were severely affected by the 4 July floods, and Stone had to pull his older neighbors from their home before water overtook it. He said he felt safe for now.

 MEDITERRANEAN  

Thousands of people in Greece and Turkey have been forced to evacuate their homes as firefighters in the countries battled to contain wildfires fanned by strong winds and searing heat. As temperatures in south-eastern Europe exceeded 40 °C for a seventh straight day, the Greek prime minister praised rescue workers for waging “a titanic battle” to bring blazes under control. “The state mechanism has been called to engage in a titanic battle, simultaneously responding to dozens of wildfires across the country,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement. “To those who saw their properties destroyed by the fury of fire, know that the state will stand by your side.” Eleven regions of Greece face a “very high risk” of fire, and the government has appealed for help from EU partners to help it deal with fires burning on multiple fronts. Emergency services said that while a conflagration that had injured two firefighters in Kryoneri, north-east of Athens, had been successfully quelled, fires around Messinia in the south-west Peloponnese and on the popular island of Kythera had not been contained.

ASIA

Heavy rain around Beijing and across northern China killed two people and forced thousands to relocate as authorities warned of further widespread rain and the risk of disasters, including landslides and flooding. Two people were dead and two missing in Hebei province, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday morning. Overnight rain dumped a record 145mm per hour on Fuping county in the industrial city of Baoding. China’s water ministry issued targeted flood warnings to 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and neighbouring Hebei, for floods from small and midsize rivers and mountain torrents. Floods and landslides affected many villages in the Miyun district of the capital, with the rural town of Fengjiayu the most severely affected, and electricity and communications were cut in some villages, CCTV said. More than 3,000 people were transferred out of the area, Beijing News Radio reported on Sunday. Beijing issued a warning on Saturday for geological disasters, including landslides and mudslides, after intense rainfall unleashed, for a second time, a year’s worth of rain on nearby Baoding. Northern China has experienced record rain in recent years, exposing densely populated cities, including Beijing, to flood risks. Some scientists link the increased rainfall in China’s usually arid north to global warming. The storms are part of the broader pattern of extreme weather across China due to the east Asian monsoon, which has caused disruptions in the world’s second-largest economy. Baoding’s Xizhuang station recorded 540mm in eight hours, exceeding Baoding’s average annual rainfall of about 500mm. The deluge affected more than 46,000 people, forcing 4,655 to evacuate, CCTV reported.  Chinese authorities closely monitor extreme rainfall and severe flooding, as they challenge the country’s ageing flood defenses, threaten to displace millions, and wreak havoc on an agricultural sector worth trillions of dollars.

The south-west monsoon continued a deadly streak in Pakistan this week, with torrential rain on Wednesday killing at least 63 people. After beginning life as showers and thunderstorms in north-west India this week, a more organised area of low pressure developed, merging showers into a larger area of heavy rain as they moved into the Pakistani province of Punjab. This rain tracked roughly north across Punjab on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, hitting several major cities including Lahore and the capital, Islamabad. The greatest rainfall was in the city of Chakwal, which recorded 423mm (16.6in), more than double the July average.  Rivers overflowed their banks, significantly flooding low-lying areas of Punjab. Though several of the deaths were attributed to drowning, most were the result of building collapses. A number of deaths were reportedly from electrocution. This latest deluge takes the death toll from this year’s monsoon, which began in late June, to almost 180, more than half of which are children. Owing to its large, low-lying regions, Pakistan is among the countries most endangered by the climate crisis, with significant flooding events becoming more common in recent years.  Meanwhile, torrential rain also led to flash flooding in the US states of New York and New Jersey this week. In New Jersey, where a state of emergency was declared, more than 150mm of rain fell within a few hours, flooding several major roads and killing two people whose car was swept away. New York City recorded its second-highest hourly rainfall ever, after 50mm fell within just half an hour, with water dramatically pouring into the subway systems.

Glaciers across northern Pakistan have been melting at an accelerated pace as a result of record-breaking summer temperatures, leading to deadly flash flooding and landslides.

The floods and heavy monsoon rains have caused devastation across the country this summer, killing at least 72 people and injuring more than 130 since the rains began in late June. In the country’s mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan, temperatures have risen as high as 48.5 (119.3F), which local officials described as unprecedented in a region that is more than 1,200 metres above sea level and famous for its snow-capped mountains. The previous record was 47 degrees, set in 1971. The region, which spans the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram mountain ranges, has witnessed an acceleration in the melting of its glaciers in the past week. It has led to the swelling of the local rivers and the formation of unstable lakes that have burst, triggering flash floods and landslides that have washed away villages and roads, cutting off some communities entirely and leaving others without power or drinking water. The head of Gilgit-Baltistan’s disaster management authority, Zakir Hussain, said the region was facing a “very serious situation” and described the fast formation of volatile glacial lakes as “highly hostile” to people’s safety. He said those in some areas close to the glaciers were being evacuated from their homes. “We are facing a flood situation in many areas,” he said. “The rise of temperature has sent a shiver down our spines. We have never before witnessed such weather here.” He said it could be just the beginning and that the region remained on high alert as warnings of high temperatures continued. There are about 7,200 glaciers in Gilgit-Baltistan, though their number and size has diminished over recent years as a result of the climate emergency. The glaciers feed vital river basins and are an essential part of Pakistan’s water supply.

EUROPE

Four areas of England are now in drought as the East and West Midlands have joined Yorkshire and the north-west. Continuing hot and dry weather was a hazard to crop production and wildlife, ministers said, as they urged water companies to put hosepipe bans in place to conserve water as levels deplete.  The water minister, Emma Hardy, said: “I have asked the national drought group to step up its response to ensure we are successfully managing the impacts of ongoing dry weather. Water companies must now take action to follow their drought plans – I will hold them to account if they delay.” England had a very hot and dry June. Rainfall was 20% less than the long-term average for the month, and it was the hottest on record for England. Reservoir levels have continued to fall as increased water use meets a lack of rain, with overall storage across England at 75.6%. This is below the level during the severe drought year of 2022, when they were at 77% capacity at this point in the summer. The Guardian recently revealed that England’s reservoirs are at their lowest levels for a decade. The government’s national drought group met on Tuesday to discuss their response to the prolonged dry weather, which has caused mass fish die-offs, low river flows, dangerous algal blooms, and the beginnings of crop failures. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was likely that yields for farmers would be lower than last year, particularly for non-irrigated grains and straw.

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across parts of England and hosepipe bans imposed in various locations as the third heatwave of the summer takes hold.

The heat health warning announced by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) came into effect at noon on Friday and covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, east of England, and London until 9 am on Monday.  This latest heat health warning comes as hot and dry weather scorches England, with temperatures expected to rise further over the weekend.  Temperatures could reach 32C in parts of central and southern England on Friday, with the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber to be covered by a yellow heat health alert from midday. The alerts warn of the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over, or with health conditions, because of the heat.

Households in Yorkshire were the first to be hit with a hosepipe ban, which came into effect on Sunday, with restrictions following in Kent and Sussex.  Yorkshire Water brought in restrictions on using hosepipes for activities such as watering the garden, cleaning cars, and filling paddling pools, which it said is part of its efforts to protect supplies in the face of yet more dry weather forecast for the coming weeks.  South East Water said demand for drinking water in the counties had reached “record levels since May”, adding: “This situation has left us with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers, so we can help our reservoirs and underground water storage recover.”  It means people are banned from using a hosepipe to water gardens and plants, clean vehicles, fill swimming pools or ponds, or clean paths, walls, or windows. The ban comes into effect from 18 July.