Weather tracker: Canada wildfires rage in what could be worst ...

Wildfires in Quebec, Canada, continue to rage, following a spring that was drier and warmer than normal, creating perfect conditions for wildfires to develop. As of 7 June, at least 150 fires remained active across the province, with more than 400 across the country according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Officials warned this could be the country’s worst wildfire season to date, with at least 9.4m acres of land destroyed so far.

Plumes of smoke from the fires have been moving southwards across the US east coast, delaying thousands of flights. The US National Weather Service also issued air quality alerts for many states, with air quality index levels above 400 – a level of 300 is considered “hazardous” – in some states. A fairly static weather pattern this weekend will mean further plumes of smoke moving towards eastern parts of the US.

In Japan, southern and western parts experienced significant rainfall this week thanks to the remnants of Typhoon Mawar, moving north from the Philippine Sea having previously battered Guam, the northern Philippines, and Taiwan. Mawar weakened to a tropical storm on approach to Japan, but collided with an active rain front moving across the country on 3 June. The injection of warm and moist air intensified the existing rainfall, bringing a spectacular start to the 2023 rainy season.

According to the Japan meteorological agency, 23 locations in eight prefectures had record totals of 24-hour rainfall, with close to 500mm falling in the city of Toyohashi on the south coast of the central Chūbu region. The rainfall was deemed a “once in 100 years or more” event for the Wakayama, Aichi, Shizuoka, and Ibaraki prefectures. Flooding and landslide risks prompted evacuation warnings in some areas, with power outages and the temporary suspension of some Shinkansen bullet train services among the consequences of the deluge.

Northern Turkey also experienced very wet weather this week. After heavy rainfall across much of Turkey on 30 May, which triggered localised flooding and caused damage in the capital of Ankara, thunderstorms developed over parts of the north between 3 and 6 June. Some of these storms brought particularly heavy downpours, with 24-hour totals approaching 150mm in Ayancık and Türkeli, and further flooding. There were also reports of damage from lightning and large hail, and dozens of mudslides in the province of Ordu.