Japan Braces for Typhoon Jangmi as Europe Faces Heatwave

A powerful storm is barreling toward Japan, with Typhoon Jangmi expected to brush past Okinawa on Monday before heading toward the country’s southeastern coast. The storm, also known as Typhoon No. 6, formed inside a slow-moving monsoonal gyre over the Philippine Sea—a large weather system that can spin off smaller vortices and strengthen into typhoons. These storms often lack a clear eye but bring broad areas of low pressure and far-reaching winds.

Authorities are urging residents to prepare for heavy rain and strong winds early this week, which could trigger flooding, storm surges, and landslides. As of early Monday, Jangmi was crawling northwest at about 10 mph, packing sustained winds of 67 mph and gusts up to 100 mph, with a central pressure of 975 hPa. Forecasters at the Japan Meteorological Agency expect the pressure to drop to 965 hPa, with maximum winds rising to 70 mph and gusts hitting 110 mph by Monday.

Meanwhile, southern Australia is bracing for rough weather as a 980 hPa low-pressure system moves east. After lashing Western Australia with severe storms last week, the system is set to hit Victoria’s densely populated areas on Monday. Gusts of up to 80 mph have already battered the western coast, and similar winds are expected midweek along Victoria’s coast. Snow could even fall in Kosciuszko National Park on Monday afternoon.

In stark contrast, southern Europe is sweltering under a stubborn high-pressure system. Despite meteorological summer just starting, temperatures across southern Spain are forecast to reach the high 30s Celsius, with some spots hitting 40°C. While those numbers might not seem extreme for early June in Iberia, they’re running 5 to 10 degrees above the long-term average—a worrying sign for the weeks ahead.