Extreme weather grips Asia with heat wave, heavy rain

Extreme weather conditions gripped large parts of Asia on Friday, ranging from record-breaking heat waves to an approaching super typhoon and monsoon-driven heavy rainfall.

In South Korea’s southeastern city of Yangsan, temperatures surged to 41.4C (106.5F), according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The state weather agency confirmed that this reading marks the highest temperature recorded in Yangsan since local observations began in 2008, according to Yonhap news agency.

It also marked the third consecutive day temperatures surpassed 40C (104F) in the area, a rare phenomenon seen only twice before nationwide since the establishment of the national observation network in 1973.

In Japan, severe heat waves persisted across eastern and western parts, while authorities issued heatstroke alerts for 30 of the country's 47 prefectures, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), public broadcaster NHK reported.

Temperatures surpassed 30C (86F) in earthquake-hit areas of Kumamoto prefecture by Friday morning, raising heat-related risks for residents as thousands of homes remain without water or electricity.

The JMA urged people involved in outdoor cleaning operations to take frequent breaks and advised the public to use air conditioning and replenish salt.

Meanwhile, northern Vietnam is bracing for heightened flood and landslide risks through August as Super Typhoon Dolphin strengthens over the northwestern Pacific toward China's eastern coast, according to VietNamNet News.

Its circulation is forecast to enhance the southwest monsoon and create hazardous marine conditions from early August for the country.

Disaster management authorities warned that even moderate short-term rainfall could trigger flash flooding and landslides in mountainous districts and urban low-lying areas due to already saturated soil.

In China, Typhoon Dolphin is not expected to pose a threat over the next five days, state-run China Daily reported.

Separately, China’s Emergency Management Ministry activated a Level IV emergency response, the lowest level, for geological disasters in the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu.

Parts of northwestern China and the Sichuan Basin are forecast to receive heavy to torrential rainfall through Saturday, with some areas expected to experience extremely heavy rain, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.