Tropical Storm Nalgae swept through the Philippines on Saturday with sustained winds of 60mph. Heavy rain caused the most damage, with significant flooding and landslides. Dozens of people have died and 170,000 sought shelter in evacuation centres. Forecast models estimated that between 200mm and 300mm of rain fell in places over a 24-hour period, more than six times the October daily average. It was the 16th tropical cyclone to have affected the Philippines this season. The storm is tracking across the East China Sea and is expected to intensify into a category 1 cyclone for a short time before weakening again as it approaches mainland China. The associated rain will affect eastern parts of Taiwan and the coastal Chinese province of Guangdong early this week. Western areas of New Zealand’s South Island will see heavy and persistent rain pushing in from the Tasman Sea this week. Significant rainfall accumulation is expected, with about 200mm possible in the 48hrs to Thursday evening in parts of the Westland district. In the northern hemisphere, it has been an anomalously hot October, particularly in the Pacific north-west of the US and western Canada. Temperatures have been 5C or more above normal in some parts, and almost the whole of Canada has seen above average temperatures throughout the month. This week there will be a change in conditions with temperatures across most states west of the Great Plains and across much of Canada away from the far east widely diving below zero. By Thursday, temperatures will drop to about 10C below normal, with fresh snowfall likely to accompany the cold in many areas away from the coast.