Hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity across the U.K. and Ireland after the onslaught of Storm Darragh this past weekend, local media reported.
Darragh, which brought wind gusts of 154 kilometers per hour (96 miles per hour), is the fourth named storm of the 2024-25 European windstorm season, which runs from Sept. 1, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2025.
Multiple flood warnings were raised in parts of the U.K. and Ireland, some of which are still recovering from the widespread flooding that Storm Bert caused last month. Two people died in separate incidents after adverse weather caused trees to fall on vehicles.
U.K. national weather service the Met Office earlier issued a rare red weather warning for Storm Darragh, usually reserved for potentially life-threatening weather. Flight and train services remained disrupted.
Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of the government’s independent climate advisory body, told the BBC that the U.K. must plan better for extreme weather events like Darragh. “We’re off track against where we should be — and that’s things like flood defences, or are our houses built on flood plains?” she said.
Thailand and Malaysia also experienced severe flooding last week due to monsoon rains, leaving at least 29 people dead in Thailand and at least six in Malaysia, according to reports. Tens of thousands of people were reported to be staying in evacuation centers.
Schools and almost 100 health facilities were also forced to close.
Rescue teams were deployed to the southern Thai provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Yala. Flood relief funds for each province will be increased to 50 million baht ($1.45 million), the Bangkok Post reported. Thailand’s cabinet also approved aid for affected families, with each receiving 9,000 baht ($260), Al Jazeera reported.
Pianporn Deetes, program director for Southeast Asia at environmental NGO International Rivers, told local news site Thaiger that human activities such as deforestation and dam construction greatly contribute to flooding in Thailand.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s east coast saw five days of continuous rainfall, which was equivalent to six months’ worth of rain, said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Malaysian farmers faced heavy losses as 38,000 hectares (nearly 94,000 acres) of farmlands were inundated. The damage to crops and homes is estimated at nearly 1 billion ringgit ($226 million), the government said, according to a Reuters report. The amount is a fraction of the $3 billion the country lost in the last four years due to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change.
The Malaysian Padi Farmers Brotherhood Organization lamented that the rice paddies have just been recently planted, Nikkei reported.
Because of the widespread damage, the government is looking at the possibility of giving assistance or “reasonable compensation” to farmers and others affected by the floods. In the meantime, it’s prioritizing the repair of schools, hospitals and basic roads.
Banner image of Storm Darragh from space via the Met Office.