Judging from the latest forecast for Typhoon Muifa, it looks like Beijing may miss the storm this time. The updated storm path has the edge of the typhoon just brushing the coastline. But we're not off the hook just yet. Anyone with travel plans along the coast or towards Shanghai may still encounter delays or cancellations.

It's been a summer of sudden downpours and heavy flooding – and it's not over yet. Get ready for more extreme weather. Typhoon Muifa is on track to hit Beijing as a tropical storm on Monday evening. If it does, what do you need to know and how should you prepare?

As if the merciless summer heat beating against your back isn't bad enough, your nose keeps running, your throat feels like you've emptied two bottles of vodka the night before, and the chills just won't go away.

The weather is warming up which means it’s time for the heating to shut off. Last November, we were counting the days for some warmth, but with temperatures almost balmy heating is the last thing one people’s minds.

It’s been a foggy (and unusually damp) week in Beijing, which has had the unfortunate effect of locking in all that lovely air pollution, pushing the US Embassy’s air particle index up past the 400 (dangerous) mark for the past three days. State news agency Xinhua, however, says relief is on the way.

The 100 is up! Congratulations Beijing. You’ve reached triple figures, wave the bat with pride. It’s been a fine knock, a fine century, definitely a knock straight from the top drawer. What a way to dry things up!

Been felling chilly? Xinhua has reported (Chinese only) that yesterday saw the most extreme mid-December lows for ten years, with temperatures dropping to -11 in the early hours of yesterday morning. In fact, the mercury failed to get above zero all day.

It seems north China isn’t the only region experiencing extreme weather conditions. As Beijing deals with the aftermath of the heaviest snowfalls in more than half a century, parts of Europe and the US are also buried under unusually thick layers of snow, while Greece and Israel enjoy unseasonably warm conditions.

Snoooooowball Fight!

What a beautiful 3 am. Snow like this makes me glad it's winter; at least it does in the dead of night when it's all still fluffy and dry and beautiful, and the streets are empty and quiet - save for the gentle, almost imperceptible tinkle of snow falling on snow, and the low moaning of drunk clubbers traipsing through the streets like frozen zombies, searching for a cab.

Unless you managed to sleep through all of Sunday (November 1), you would have woken yesterday to a thick layer of snow blanketing Beijing. When I stumbled out of bed around 6am to – ahem – take a pee, I was shocked to see the park outside my window lightly dusted in white.