"Umbrella"'s reign at number one in the United Kingdom occurred as the country was hit by extreme rainfall and flooding, which led the British national newspaper "The Sun" to humorously suggest the two events were related, with the media referring to it as the "Rihanna Curse." A similar situation occurred in New Zealand, where the song hit number one in the early winter of 2007 as the country was experiencing some of the worst storms in its history. During the weather conditions, Taranaki, Tauranga, and Auckland had experienced tornadoes and flooding in the Far North of the country. Once the single was replaced on the top spot, weather conditions throughout New Zealand pacified, although Hawke's Bay was still stormy.