Officials in Cuba evacuated 180,000 residents amid concerns about flooding from the deadly Tropical Storm Elsa, as it brushed along the nation's southern region on Monday, per AP.
The latest: Elsa was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph 245 miles southeast of Havana about 2a.m. Monday and was expected to weaken while passing over central Cuba later in the day before heading toward the Florida Straits in the evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Rescue workers in Japan were stepping up efforts to find 113 people still missing from a weekend deadly mudslide in Atami, west of Tokyo, the city's mayor told NHK Monday.
The big picture: Shizuoka Prefecture officials confirmed the deaths of three people following Saturday's disaster. Officials said some of those unaccounted for could've been away at the time, CNN reports. Crews were still finding survivors Monday, including a mother and baby who escaped injury despite their building being "buried in mud," per NHK.
Lightning strikes in Western Canada have surged over the past few days, triggered in part by an unprecedented heatwave that also induced wildfires, Reuters reports.
The big picture: British Columbia, which usually accounts for about 5% of Canada's yearly lightning strike total, reported its annual number in less than 48 hours.
Two Chinese astronauts on Sunday made the first spacewalk outside China's new space station core module Tianhe to set up equipment on a 15-meter robotic arm.
State of play: Astronauts Liu Boming's and Tang Hongbo's spacewalk was streamed on local media. They were supported by a third crew member, Nie Haisheng, who stayed inside the cabin.
Americans looking to enjoy their summer outside after a pandemic year now have other threats to worry about.
The big picture: Experts are warning that ticks are on the rise and poison ivy may be more abundant this year. That means hikers, campers and anyone else excited to get outside after months of pandemic confinement should take extra precautions to avoid both.
The Canadian Armed Forces are being called in to help combat dozens of wildfires in western Canada that have sparked evacuation orders and caused the deaths of at least two people, per CTV News.
What's happening: 172 wildfires are burning across British Columbia following the Pacific Northwest's record heat wave, per the BC Wildfire Service.
