Overview

• Taiwan has received over two meters of rain since July 28, causing at least four deaths, three missing persons, 77 injuries and the evacuation of nearly 6,000 residents.
• Hong Kong logged 355.7 mm of rainfall by 2 p.m. on August 5—the highest August total since 1884—and is under its fourth “black” rain alert in eight days with schools closed and shelters open.
• Beijing authorities evacuated more than 82,000 people ahead of renewed torrential rains after floods a week earlier killed at least 44 and exposed gaps in the capital’s emergency preparedness.
• Meteorologists attribute the extreme precipitation to a persistent low-pressure system and strong southwest winds driven by Typhoon Co-may passing east of Taiwan.
• Scientists warn that intensified weather patterns tied to human-driven climate change are raising the frequency and severity of such destructive rain events across the Asia-Pacific.