Last week, Western Australia underwent a brief heatwave. Perth, the capital city, reached 41.9C (107.4F) on Wednesday, 42.7C on Thursday and 40.4C on Friday. While it is summertime in Australia, three consecutive days with temperatures in excess of 40C marks a considerable deviation from the seasonal average, which sits at about 31.5C.
Temperatures returned much closer to the seasonal average throughout the weekend, with maximums in the mid- to high-20s. However, over the coming days, the heat is expected to return, with temperatures in excess of 40C expected to persist from Thursday to Saturday, before easing on Sunday. It is not just the maximum temperatures that can cause discomfort, but also the minimum, which, over the course of the second heatwave, will probably be about 25C, around the maximum seen over the previous weekend.
In stark contrast, South Korea and Japan will be hit by heavy snowfall early this week. An area of low pressure started to track north-eastwards across the Korean peninsula and across the Sea of Japan on Sunday night, bringing with it a band of heavy rain, sleet and snow. Initially, when this band hits South Korea’s south islands, it will probably fall as rain, with up to 80mm possibly falling on the island of Jeju on Monday. Then, as this band starts to push farther inland it will increasingly fall as snow, leading to some significant accumulations farther west. The provinces of Gyeongbuk and Gangwon are looking to be the most affected, with up to 20cm of snow falling from this event.
This band will later push into Japan, again initially falling as rain, and then snow as it travels inland throughout Monday night and Tuesday. In the space of just 24 hours, up to 30cm of snow is expected to fall over the Kanto-Koshin region, which will probably lead to some travel disruption. Further snow showers are expected to push in from the Sea of Japan on Wednesday.
Southern California will also experience some disruptive weather early this week, with heavy rain falling overnight and continuing throughout Monday. The area from Santa Barbara, through Los Angeles and down to San Diego will be the worst affected area, with more than 100mm of rain forecast within a 24-hour period.
