The first typhoon of the season, named Songda, hit the Philippines last Wednesday. Typhoon Songda passed close to north-eastern areas of the Philippines with sustained winds of around 80mph and gusts of up to 106mph. Although it didn't make landfall, it passed close enough to the Philippines to cause widespread flooding, killing three people and forcing thousands to evacuate.
It brought 100mm of rain to the northern provinces of Luzon and grew to a super-typhoon by Thursday, as it headed north-eastwards towards Japan. On Friday, typhoon Songda had maximum sustained winds of 143mph and gusts of up to 161mph.
A thunderstorm killed two people in West Bengal in India last Tuesday. A tornado, accompanied by lightning, swept through Bhagabanpur and parts of Khejuri, flattening over 500 houses.
Storms continued to cause havoc across the US midwest last week. Tornadoes near Oklahoma City left 10 dead, and other tornadoes killed eight people in Kansas and Arkansas.
These followed the massive tornado in Joplin, Missouri, at the start of last week, which has now been ranked as the single deadliest tornado to hit the US since modern record-keeping began.
Following a path over 9km long and 2km wide, it tore apart 8,000 structures in Joplin and the surrounding area with winds of 200mph. At present, 130 people are confirmed to have died and dozens more are still missing.