Tropical Storm Nicholas is the 14th named storm of the Atlantic’s 2021 hurricane season and formed in the south-west Gulf of Mexico last Sunday before tracking just east of far southern Texas, eventually making landfall on Tuesday. Nicholas brought heavy rain, strong winds and a storm surge, resulting in flooding.
In the western Pacific, Super Typhoon (equivalent to a category 5 Atlantic hurricane) Chanthu underwent rapid intensification last week, with winds of more than 160mph at its peak. Chanthu made landfall in northern Philippines on Saturday and was one of the strongest storms so far this year.
The storm weakened when it neared the southern and eastern coast of Taiwan on Sunday, sparing its full force, but still led to significant rainfall, strong winds and dangerous swells resulting in coastal flooding and bringing some life-threatening conditions. Chanthu then tracked along the coast just east of China and towards South Korea before heading east towards Japan.
In Europe, last Friday two people were killed as a tornado hit the small remote Italian island of Pantelleria, between Sicily and Tunisia in the Mediterranean. Several others were injured as the tornado overturned cars and ripped off roofs, according to the Italian civil protection agency.
