Latest news with #rainyseason
NHK
5 days ago
- Climate
- NHK
Scorching heat grips Japan over 3-day weekend
Intense heat has gripped much of Japan as the rainy season officially ended nationwide. Sweltering conditions are expected to continue through the three-day weekend. Daytime highs on Saturday reached 37.5 degrees Celsius in the northeastern city of Yamagata. The mercury climbed above 35 degrees in other cities as well. A ceremony to begin the swimming season was held on the Goshikigahama beach in the town of Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday. It is the only one to open in the Oku-Noto region. Others have remained closed since a major earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day last year. Locals and visitors from other prefectures gathered to enjoy the sea around Noto. A 24-year-old local who came with her family said that while other beaches still await safety checks of the seabed, she is happy that one has opened. Clear skies and scorching heat are expected across Japan on Sunday with daytime highs of 37 degrees forecast for Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture, Fukui City, and Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture. Sweltering conditions could continue for about a week in wide areas from northern to western Japan, with the mercury expected to reach 35 degrees in many areas. Recommendations for coping with the heat include using air conditioners as needed, drinking liquids, taking salt and resting frequently during outdoor activities.
Zawya
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Sudan: Life-saving aid must reach the people caught between the rains and conflict
Following the start of the rainy season in Sudan's North Darfur region, Amnesty International's Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah said: 'The rainy season is a terrifying prospect for many Sudanese who have fled fighting in North Darfur between armed groups. Internally displaced persons and refugees have told Amnesty International that they fear the coming rains will heighten the risk of diseases and make already dire conditions in their areas even worse. They are desperate for food, including seeds to plant ahead of the rains, water and medical services. Adequate shelter also remains a major concern. One 90-year-old woman told us that she didn't have any proper shelter and was living under the trees. Others are in similar situations. 'Sudan is the world's largest displacement and humanitarian crisis, yet the humanitarian response for 2025 is grossly underfunded. This will go down in history as an abject failure unless Sudan's international partners rise to the occasion and increase emergency funding for the humanitarian response in Sudan, as well as for Sudanese refugees. 'To stop this humanitarian emergency from spiraling further, parties to the armed conflict must facilitate rapid, unconditional and safe access to humanitarian aid, and end all attacks on humanitarian objects and personnel. 'Sudan is the world's largest displacement and humanitarian crisis, yet the humanitarian response for 2025 is grossly underfunded. This will go down in history as an abject failure unless Sudan's international partners rise to the occasion and increase emergency funding for the humanitarian response in Sudan, as well as for Sudanese refugees. More must be done to save lives. The international community cannot afford to look away.' Background Since the latest armed conflict broke out in Sudan in April 2023, over 11 million people have fled their homes. Displaced persons live in dire conditions in Sudan, including in Darfur, one of the regions most severely affected by fighting, as well as other countries. Cases of cholera outbreak are already being reported in North Darfur. Parties to the conflict continue to impede humanitarian access and attack humanitarian objects and personnel. Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to ensure sufficient humanitarian aid to a suffering population. The rainy season in Darfur typically lasts from June to September. In April, MSF already warned that the rainy season threatened to worsen the ongoing malnutrition crisis. In August 2024, the UN confirmed famine conditions in Zamzam camp and identified 13 other areas at risk of famine. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
Umbrellas Optional? East Asia's Monsoon Rains Are No Longer a Sure Thing
South Korea's rainy season is historically several summer weeks when rain can fall in sheets at a moment's notice. But these days, Choi Moon-hee doesn't bother carrying an umbrella around Seoul anymore, even during the official monsoon season. On Tuesday evening, she lost her bet, getting caught in a shower after days without rain. It was the first downpour she had experienced since forecasters declared the start of the monsoon two weeks ago. 'In the past, if it started raining, it would last for about a half-month, and we'd use our umbrellas often,' said Ms. Choi, 43, while taking cover under the awning of a building. 'Nowadays, it often doesn't rain even when the forecast says it will.' In the south of the country, forecasters already declared the rainy season to be over last week. In western Japan, it was declared over in late June, the earliest point since records began. East Asia's rainy season has traditionally run from the middle of June into July, when a stationary weather front brings prolonged rainfall to the region. But the annual rains have become less predictable since the late 1990s, and scientists say that climate change is a major factor in that shift. Climate change, which has worsened extreme weather around the world, has also made the monsoon season more inconsistent in India and China, catching billions of people off guard with floods and droughts. See temperatures as... Degrees above or below average for July 9 Sources: University of Maine Climate Change Institute and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System Notes: Forecasts are for 8 p.m. Eastern on July 8, 2025, to 8 p.m. on July 9, 2025. Averages based on data from 1979 to 2000. By Lazaro Gamio and Zach Levitt Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Zawya
04-07-2025
- Health
- Zawya
The Gambia: As malaria season begins, a life-saving infusion of medicine
On a hot and humid Thursday afternoon, the courtyard of The Gambia's Central Medical Store swarms with people. Despite the oppressive heat, dozens of people gather under a large tent. From time to time, clouds appear before dissipating, while the small puddles left by a light rainfall the day before remind everyone of the onset of the rainy season, a period known to bring a surge in malaria cases. Against this backdrop, the Gambian Red Cross Society (GRCS) officially handed over a vital consignment of anti-malarial medications to the Ministry of Health in support of the upcoming Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign. This life-saving donation is part of the 'Accelerating Malaria Elimination in The Gambia' project, funded by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). ' This delivery comes at the right time,' said Lamine Dampha, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health during the handover ceremony. ' The rainy season, commonly referred to as 'malaria season', has just begun. These medications will allow us to protect tens of thousands of people, especially children under five, who continue to bear the highest burden of malaria, across the country '. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Charles Businge, the IFRC's regional director for Africa emphasized that these medications come at a crucial time when global funding for malaria is declining. In this context, Ibou Fye Njie, secretary general of the GRCS, says these medicines take on even greater significance. ' Delivery of these medicines marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to achieve a malaria-free Gambia, while emphasizing that the project will finance the operational costs for the implementation of four SMC cycles during the 2025 malaria season in Kombo North District,' he said. Supporting a nationwide mosquito nets distribution campaign Valued at over USD 108,000 (excluding transport costs estimated at USD 35,000), the medications handover follows a large-scale mosquito net distribution campaign, conducted in partnership with the Senegalese authorities as part of a coordinated cross-border malaria control effort. More than 1.5 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed free of charge to households across The Gambia. Supporting this nationwide effort, 280 Red Cross volunteers were mobilized across all regions to raise awareness about malaria prevention. They went door-to-door educating families about the proper use of mosquito nets, provided information on where to collect them, and assisted Ministry of Health staff with registering beneficiaries. ' I'm very grateful to have received a mosquito net,' said a mother of three from the Central River Region. ' This year, I know my children and I will be protected from malaria.' Malaria: a major public health threat Malaria is one of the top ten causes of death in The Gambia, with the entire population of the country at risk of the disease. It also remains a leading cause of childhood mortality and morbidity in The Gambia, where under-five mortality rate remains high at 56 per 1,000 live births. Despite significant progress in recent years, global malaria funding is insufficient to sustain essential services for a growing population and addressing biological and non-biological threats. Speaking on behalf of His Excellency Liu Jin, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to The Gambia, Mr. Zhan Tong, Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, reaffirmed China's commitment: ' We are confident that, with the strong support of the Chinese government and the international community, we will see tangible progress very soon,' he said. The 'Accelerating Malaria Elimination in The Gambia' project, launched in September 2024, will run through September 2026, with a total budget of USD 1,978,879. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Japan Times
27-06-2025
- Climate
- Japan Times
Western Japan sees earliest end to rainy season on record
Japan's rainy season ended at the earliest date on record in the country's western regions, meteorologists said Friday, as climate change makes global weather patterns less predictable. The rainy season usually lasts from June to July, but for a large swath of the country — from Kyoto to the southern island of Kyushu — it ended roughly three weeks earlier than usual, the Meteorological Agency said. Previous records for the earliest ending to the rainy season in those areas were in early July, logged in the 1960s through the 1990s, the weather agency added. Japan endured its hottest summer on record last year as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide. Increasingly dry winters have also raised the risk of wildfires. A blaze that broke out in the city of Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture in early March was Japan's worst in over half a century. For the nation's Pacific coast, last winter was the driest since records began in 1946, according to the agency. Strong typhoons have also triggered floods and landslides in recent years. "Currently, in the western regions, we are seeing a strong high-pressure system that is not likely to weaken in the foreseeable future," the agency's meteorologist said on Friday. He said it was not possible to draw a direct link between the current weather conditions and climate change. But a changing climate has been observed "over many years," he added.
