As hundreds of people across England begin the task of repairing the damage caused by yesterday's lethal, extraordinary rains, countries around the world are struggling with the various erratic extremes of wet, heat and cold.

A cyclone hit the coast of Pakistan today, killing ten people and driving tens of thousands inland to higher ground. Cyclone Yemyin struck the coastline of the province of Baluchistan at around noon with winds of up to 57mph (91kph) after three days of torrential rains that killed more than 230 people in the country's largest city of Karachi.

Cyclone Yemyin is the second major storm of the north Indian Ocean hurricane season. Earlier this month, cyclone Gonu hit Oman and Iran as it zigzagged up the Persian Gulf, killing more than 60 people. Yemwyin is not expected to strike Karachi but has washed away part of the main coastal highway, causing lengthy traffic delays and the panicked evacuation of dozens of coastal settlements.

Severe rain and flooding is estimated to have killed 400 people across Asia in the first days of the summer rainy season, with around 150 deaths reported in India, where thousands of people have been cut off without without basic services in the state of Andhra Pradesh, where more storms are expected tomorrow.

Heat is the source of danger in southern Europe, where temperatures have topped 40C in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, causing more than 40 people. Dry conditions and strong winds have raised fears of wildfires in southern Italy while the Greek army has cancelled military exercises.

Romania has been with the worst affected, with authorities reporting 29 deaths in the past week because of the heat. Bucharest has been Europe's hottest capital, with temperatures of 45C (113F). Health officials have set up 30 emergency tents to cope with the casualties. Fourteen of the deaths have occurred in the city.

Temperatures are forecast to reach hit 44C (111F) in Athens today and the government has urged the public to save power as electricity consumption soared yesterday. Four heat-related deaths have been reported in Greece, and a further eight in Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia, Croatia and Turkey where temperatures have broken records for June. In Turkey, pregnant civil servants have been given leave to stay at home while transport officials in Bulgaria have had to spray tram rails with water to stop them buckling in the heat.

Latin America has also been unsettled by an abrupt changing of the season, with a steep slide into winter causing strains on electricity supplies in Argentina and the deaths of four people in Chile, where a sports stadium has been opened in Santiago to provide shelter to the homeless.

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