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Monsoon flooding following cyclone Yemyin has affected more than 800 000 people in south-west Pakistan and killed 20. Monsoon storms have claimed more than 120 lives in neighboring India and at least four in Aghanistan. The total number of lives lost in the unusually severe flooding is still unknown. People and livestock have been stranded on rooftops without water or food, in temperatures of 43°C.
Fourth major storm in Australia this month
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Heatwave leads to record power demand
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Weather forecast research for Beijing Olympics
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Texas flooding
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| Photo: AP |
Constant downpours over the past 10 days in Texas, USA, have caused heaving flooding and claimed 11 lives. Bridges have been washed out and people stranded. Several families had to be evacuated by helicopter.
Austin has had its wettest year on record with more than 76 cm of rain since January.
Texas had been experiencing drought since 2005.
A snowstorm fell on Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday as a winter weather front moved across the country, closing mountain passes and claiming at least one life. It was the country’s first significant snowfall since 1981. Flights from the international airport were delayed by up to three hours as aircraft were de-iced.
The UK Met Office has issued a warning that further rainfall of 15-25 mm is expected on Saturday—although some places could receive 40-50 mm.
Heavy rain and severe floods have claimed the lives of four people this week. Hundreds of families in the worst-hit areas of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands are still unable to return to their homes and thousands are still without power.
An operation to pump out water from the reservoir behind the Ulley dam and reinforce the embankment has been undertaken.
The Environment Agency has in place 12 severe flood warnings and 67 standard flood warnings.
The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Yemyin, which ripped through Balotchistan province in Pakistan on Tuesday and Wednesday, now stands at 32, according to reports.
An estimated 50 000 families are homeless and dozens of villages were destroyed.
Wind speeds hit 130 km/h during the storm before it petered out in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Five people have now died in Greece’s longest ever heat wave which has persisted for eight days. Temperatures reached 43°C in Athens yesterday and 46.2°C in Nea Philadelphia, the highest since 1955, according to the National Weather Service.
Two deaths were reported yesterday in Bulgaria and Cyprus. The high temperatures have killed at least 42 people in Italy and the Balkans. In Romania, where temperatures reached 45°C on Tuesday, a violent storm yesterday increased the number of weather-related deaths to 30.
Meteorologists in Greece are forecasting a fall in temperatures today of between 38°C and 39°C in the capital as winds from the north arrive.
A summary of outcomes of Fifteenth World Meteorological Congress (7-25 May) and of the 59th session of the Executive Council (28-30 May) can be found in MeteoWorld online at:
www.wmo.int/pages/publications/meteoworld/_en/recentevents.html
Researchers in Switzerland say the country’s average temperatures have risen twice as much of those of the northern hemisphere since the 1970s.
According to the Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research and the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the increase has been 0.57°C per decade.
The rise is attributed to Switzerland’s geographical position—far from the sea—and its relatively high latitude.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department said today that Tropical Cyclone Yemyin had made landfall. It is predicted that the storm will move in a west-northwesterly direction and weaken rapidly over the afternoon and evening.
Coastal areas are expected to receive heavy rainfall accompanied with strong winds. Other areas of southern Balochistan are also likely to experience widespread rain and strong winds for some hours. Fishermen were warned to curtail their activities.
Forest fires in Indonesia have destroyed habitats, prompting wildlife, especially orang-utans, to enter human settlements. It is estimated that 1 000 orang-utans have died. The fires have produced thick smoke over large parts of South-East Asia, raising concerns over potential respiratory problems for the human and animal populations.
A heat wave persists in southern Europe.
Two elderly people have died in Greece, where meteorologists have predicted temperatures of between 42°C and 44°C this week. Demand for electricity has reached a record high.
The heat wave has also caused a death in Cyprus.
In Italy, numerous fires fanned by the sirocco are ranging in Sicily, Calabria and Sardinia.
In Romania, where the heat wave has already claimed 25 lives, orange alerts remain in place with temperatures above 40°C.
In Turkey, which experienced temperatures of 44° over the weekend, vulnerable members of the population have been placed on sick leave as a precautionary measure.
Torrential rain in the north of England has caused the death of three people. Hundreds were blocked in their cars or took refuge on the roofs of their houses. Thousands are without electricity.
Some parts of the country received the equivalent of one month’s rainfall within a few hours. The flooding is the worst to have occurred in recent years.
A number of fires destroyed areas of forest, orchards and crops on Sunday in the east of Algeria where temperatures reportedly reached 45°C—a 60-year-old record.
The heat wave has affected the country since Saturday and meteorologists predict it will continue until Tuesday.
Torrential rains continued to fall across England and Wales today and one man died.
Severe weather and flood warnings are in force in many parts of the country with the worst rain predicted for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where over 120 schools have been closed.
According to forecasters, around a month's rainfall could fall over the next 24 hours.
A heat wave has swept over the western Chinese province of Xinjiang with temperatures reaching 44.8°C in Turpan—more than 14°C above the usual temperature in June. In Shihezi, temperatures have exceeded the 30-year record.
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| Lahore, Pakistan. Photo EFE |
At least 200 people have died in Karachi, Pakistan, as a result of storms and torrential rain.
In India, dozens have died after prolonged downpours over the last few days and some 200 000 displaced by floods.
In northern Bangladesh, about 30 people have died from diseases borne by floodwaters.
More bad weather is forecast for the area.
Active monsoon may start today—one week earlier than usual—and continue until the first week of September, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
A sudden windstorm mixed with heavy rain toppled a construction crane and numerous trees in Vienna yesterday, killing two people and injuring others.
Traffic at Vienna’s international airport had to be suspended because of high winds and lightning, as well as some train services. There were power outages and many traffic accidents.
The storm broke a heat wave in which temperatures had risen to 35°C.
The Romanian Health Ministry said yesterday that 19 people died this week during a heat wave in the southern part of the country.
Temperature highs were recorded at 35ºC and are likely to approach 40°C tomorrow, according to meteorologists.
A hot mass coming from the Arabian Peninsula is expected to reach Jordan tomorrow, raising temperatures in Amman to around 39ºC.
The first heat wave of the summer is expected to peak on Sunday (24 June) with temperatures as high as 41ºC and to last until the middle of next week, according to the Jordan Meteorology Department.
A huge increase in demand for electricity to power fans and air-conditioning systems is expected.
An estimated 36 people have died in floods and landslides in south west China, 13 have been reported missing and nearly 300 000 have been evacuated. Torrential rainfall has swamped parts of the region since 17 June.
Almost 9 million people have been affected by the disaster in the worst affected provinces of Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou and Hubei.
At a seminar on disaster preparedness held in Bahrain in co-ordination with WMO, Civil Aviation Affairs Under-Secretary Abdulrahman Al Gaoud said that the Meteorological Directorate had state-of-the-art equipment to make accurate weather forecasts and give early warnings of potential disasters.
He said that much had been learned from the experience of Oman, which had been able to minimize the impacts of tropical cyclone Gonu earlier this month through early warnings.
China's north east Liaoning province is undergoing its worst drought in 30 years according to national reports. The region has suffered damage to around 1.4 million ha of crops— mainly corn but also rice—as well as drinking-water shortages.
High temperatures and poor rainfall in June are behind the drought say experts. The provincial government has mobilized some 500 000 people to dig wells and transport water to the worst hit areas.
The UK Met Office has predicted (19 June 2007) that 10 tropical storms are the most likely number to occur in the North Atlantic during the July-November 2007 period, with a 70% chance that the number will be in the range 7 to 13. This represents below-normal activity relative to the 1990-2005 long-term average of 12.4.
The forecast is for the five full months remaining in the June-November Atlantic tropical storm season. There have already been two named storms— Andrea and Barry.
www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/tropicalcyclone/northatlantic.html
Lesotho is experiencing long-term drought conditions and February 2007 was the driest February since 1968. The drought has significantly reduced cereal production.
Lesotho Meteorological Services, predicts that below-normal rainfall will continue at least until August. The outlook is that water resources will dry up early and that a “serious potable water scarcity is highly probable”.
For more details, see:
http://www.lesmet.org.ls/Agromet-bulletin_files/Hydromet%20Publication1.pdf
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| (Photo: Press TV) |
At least 16 people were killed yesterday by lightning and flash floods in eastern India. An estimated 150 000 were taking refuge in tents, schools and government buildings after monsoon rains prompted the River Brahmaputra to burst its banks.
The India Meteorological Department is predicting further rain and thunderstorms today for the flooded north-east state of Assam.
Reports say some 500 000 people were left without water after a heavy storm battered the Siberian city of Tomsk on evening of Sunday, 17 June.
One person died, eleven were injured and dozens of local areas deprived of electricity in Tomsk and four rural districts.
The China Meteorological Administration has predicted heavy rain for western areas of the country with possible floods and landslides.
Eight people were reported missing after a landslide struck ag village in the central Hubei province on Sunday, 17 June.
Heavy rain has triggered considerable flooding in south and east China this month, causing scores of deaths and making hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
Unusually heavy rains last week triggered landslides in the southern port city of Chittagong, burying at least 128 people. Many villages were flooded and thousands left homeless.
At least 30 people had already been killed across the country in flooding caused by early rains which also damaged crops and washed away fish farms.
According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center in Dhaka, global warming, silting of the rivers and unplanned road construction have changed the pattern of flooding in Bangladesh.
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| (AP Photo/Walter Moreno, Los Andes) |
A snowstorm has reportedly blocked more than 6000 trucks on the slopes of the Cristo Redentor pass (3800 m a.s.l.), the main route between Argentina and Chile, in both directions.
At least 17 people lost their lives in Pakistan over the weekend of 16/17 June after heavy rains interrupted a prolonged heat wave which has accounted for over 250 deaths this month.
Low-lying areas of the Punjab province, including the capital Lahore, were worst affected by the downpours.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has predicted that the monsoon proper will arrive at the end of June, bringing more-than-average rainfall.
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The China Meteorological Administration has predicted that flooded areas in southern China will continue to be hit by heavy rain until the weekend.
On Thursday, downpours further swamped the region, which has been flooded since last week, causing over 70 deaths and forcing the evacuation of 788 000 people.
Flooding triggered by heavy rainfall on the east coast of Kenya has prompted the country’s Red Cross Society to issue warnings that diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid may break out.
More than 10 000 people have been affected by the floods.
Several areas in Germany and Switzerland were swamped by flash floods over the weekend of 9-10 June after severe storms. Swiss media reported the deaths of three people and around 50 homes destroyed.
MétéoSuisse has issued storm warnings for central and north-eastern regions of the country.
In Germany, some 27 people were injured after violent storms struck the south and south-west, also triggering flash floods. Air and road traffic was disrupted.
Reports say an estimated 37 people have died in two days as a result of a heat wave in the north of India. The state of Uttar Pradesh was the worst affected region with 9 victims.
Temperatures in New Delhi on Saturday were recorded at 44.9° C – the hottest in the capital since the beginning of the year.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted that with likely duststorm and thunderstorm activity over northwest India, day temperatures are likely to fall during the next two to three days.
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| Photo: PressTV |
Floods triggered by several days of torrential rainfall have taken the lives of at least 66 people in the south of China according to officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Twelve others are missing and some 591 000 were forced to evacuate their homes. Around 53 000 hectares of crops have been destroyed. Overall economic losses are estimated at US$ 371 million.
The storms have subsided and the rain belt is moving out of Guangxi, but water levels in major rivers will keep rising over next few days according to a forecast from the region’s meteorological bureau.
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The Australian Bureau of Meterology collects and uses data from satellites in WMO's World Weather Watch observing system. |
Australian officials say that at least two people died and five were missing after heavy storms lashed the east coast of the country on Saturday, 9 June. Residents in the state of New South Wales were warned from taking unnecessary journeys and around 200 000 people were left without electricity.
A beached cargo ship is threatening to break up after it was washed onto a reef, leading to fears of a major fuel spill.
The storms were triggered by a very low pressure system off the east coast and meteorologists continue to issue flood and wind warnings for several areas in New South Wales and Queensland.
In May, unusually heavy rain fell in the interior of Yemen and locust breeding occurred over a large area. According to FAO’s Desert Locust Information Service, the situation is becoming extremely serious and aerial control operations requiring external assistance will be needed in next few months to minimize the threat to agriculture.
In addition to these events, Tropical Cyclone Gonu brought widespread heavy rain to the eastern portions of Oman and southern Iran. These areas had already received unusually heavy rainfall in March, which had favoured locust breeding. A landfalling tropical cyclone in June 1996 initiated a locust upsurge in the Arabian Peninsula and Red Sea regions which lasted for two years.
WMO urges all NMHS in these regions to assist the national Locust Control Centers (LCCs) by providing them with weather data and forecast information. Click here for further details and recommendations from a WMO/FAO sponsored workshop.
FAO is currently conducting locust surveys and control operations in these areas and considers this situation a threat in these regions. Click here for the latest locust information from FAO.
Today, 8 June, is World Ocean Day. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and a group of 14 partner organizations are celebrating by marking the fifth anniversary of the United Nations Atlas of the Oceans, a pioneering online encyclopaedia containing a wealth of information on the world’s oceans that is maintained collaboratively by an international network of expert editors.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/pi1781.doc.htm
In view of the launch in March of International Polar Year 2007-2008, co-sponsored by WMO and the International Council for Science, the United Nations Environment Programme chose the theme “Melting ice—a hot topic?” for World Environment Day (5 June) this year.
According to Oman’s Meteorology Department, tropical storm Gonu was moving northwest to Muscat today, bringing torrential rains, strong winds and high waves.
Heavy rain is expected to continue over south-eastern Iran, northern Oman and the eastern United Arab Emirates before Gonu makes landfall in Iran tomorrow as a much weaker storm. There is no record of a tropical cyclone hitting Iran since 1945.
Oman's weather centre, which has been keeping records since 1890, says Gonu could be the strongest storm to reach Oman's coast since 1977.
See also: www.weather.ir/ and www.uaemet.gov.ae
The approach of Tropical Storm Gonu has prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents from the Iranian port of Chabahr today.
Yesterday, Gonu forced thousands of people to leave low-lying areas of Oman.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Meteorological Organization (IRIMO) has issued warnings for the coast and islands in the Oman Sea and Strait of Hormuz where waves are predicted to reach a height of 5.5 m.
Gonu was the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the region since records began in 1945.
The President of WMO, Alexander Bedritskiy, and the Secretary-General, Michel Jarraud, have addressed a letter to G8 leaders in which they draw attention to the importance of enhancing the capabilities of African countries for early warning and adaptation to extreme weather and climate events. Such capabilities can ensure food security and eradicate poverty, thus making a substantial contribution to sustainable development.
Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev Africa) is a major programme developed by WMO with the participation of the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union. It aims to assist African countries in achieving socio-economic development through improved climate monitoring, climate services, climate-related risk management (assessment of the risks of extreme climate conditions) and climate policy for Africa as a whole.
Germany is hosting the 33rd G8 Summit (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States of America) Summit in Heiligendamm from 6 to 8 June.
In Mexico, Tropical Storm Barbara made landfall last Saturday and weakened into a depression as it moved inland from the southern Pacific coast near the Guatemala border, an area notoriously vulnerable to flooding.
Communities in Mexico and Guatemala lying in Barbara’s path were evacuated.
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| (AP Photo/ Michael Laughlin) |
After Andrea, the second named tropical storm of 2007, which arrived on 1 June—the first official day of the 2007 Atlantic Basin hurricane season—has been downgraded to a Tropical Depression. Barry developed from a tropical low pressure system that originated in the western Caribbean Sea and brought much-needed rain to Florida.
Eastern Australia had its warmest autumn on record after high temperatures in May, though drought-hit agricultural regions also received much-needed rainfall, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Tropical Cyclone Gonu is scheduled to sweep into the coast of Oman from the Arabian Sea at around 06:00 UTC on 6 June.
For more details, see:
http://www.eumetsat.int/Home/Main/Media/News/029844?l=en
The WCRP Newsletter (June 2007) in now online.
The 59th session of the Executive Council (Geneva, 28-30 May 2007) awarded the 52nd IMO Prize to renowned meteorologist Jagadish Shukla.
Prof. Shukla was interviewed in the WMO Bulletin 54 (4), October 2005.
The Met Office predicts that the summer of 2007 in the United Kingdom will probably be warmer than average, with a one-in-six chance of average temperatures reaching or exceeding levels reached in the exceptional hot summer of 2003.
The Norbert Gerbier-MUMM International Award for 2007 was presented on 28 May 2007, during the 58th session of the WMO Executive Council, to Rolf Philipona, Bruno Dürr, Atsumu Ohmura and Christian Ruckstuhl (all from Switzerland) for their paper entitled “Anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and strong water vapour feedback increase temperature in Europe”.
The winners of the 2007 Norbert Gerbier-MUMM International Award with Mme Guiard-Gerbier (front row), the Secretary-General and the President of WMO, the Permanent Representative of Switzerland with WMO and representatives of the MUMM Foundation
The 2008 Norbert Gerbier-MUMM International Award has been conferred upon A Yeshanew (Ethiopia) and M.R. Jury (South Africa) for their paper entitled “North African climate variability”.
The 2007 WMO Research award for Young Scientists was conferred upon G. De Lannoy (Belgium) for her paper entitled “Assessment of model uncertainty for soil moisture though ensemble verification” and P. Salio (Argentina) for her paper entitled “Mesoscale convective systems over south-eastern South America and their relationship with the South American low-level jet”.
The severe storms in Spain on 23 May brought heavy rainfall exceeding 200 litres per square metre in some places. The provisional 24-hour data indicate that accumulated rainfall in Alameda de Cervera totalled 240 mm on 23/24 May.
For a full analysis by the Spanish National Meteorological Institute, see: News from Members.
Fifteenth World Meteorological Congress (7-25 May 2007) provided guidance for WMO’s scientific and technical programmes. Identified goals included strengthening the capabilities of NMHSs and increasing recognition of their important role in support of sustainable development and protecting lives and property.
This role is reflected in a new preamble to the Convention.
For more details, see Press Release No. 787.
At least 21 people were killed in landslides triggered by heavy rain in south-west China last Friday (25 May). More than 3000 houses were washed away and 1300 hectares of farmland destroyed.
The day before, 11 people died in mudslides in Sichuan. Ten more died in floods and lightning strikes and more than 350 were injured.
Some 112 000 people have been evacuated from their homes. The bad weather has affected more than two million people.
Yesterday was the hottest May day in Moscow, Russian Federation, since records began, with temperatures hitting 32.7° C. The resulting demand for electricity, mostly from air conditioners, forced the grid to emergency mode.
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| From left to right: Mr G.H.P. Dharmaratna (Director-General, Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka), Mr Peter Dias Amarasinghe, Mr Michel Jarraud and
Mrs Sarala M. Fernando, Ambassador/Permanent Representative and Counsel General, Sri Lanka |
The Government of Sri Lanka and WMO signed an agreement during Fifteenth World Meteorological Congress (7-25 May) to install a Doppler radar system for the country’s Department of Meteorology. The accord was signed by Mr Peter Dias Amarasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights of Sri Lanka and Mr Michel Jarraud, WMO Secretary-General.
Once installed, the system will be used to monitor the structure, movement and development of rainstorms and tropical cyclones, to make quantitative rainfall measurements in real-time and to issue forecasts and warnings in a timely manner.
WMO will provide technical expertise, procurement of a radar, training and spare parts. The Department of Meteorology aims to become an authoritative centre for the dissemination of warnings and thereby contribute to the reduction of natural disasters in Sri Lanka.
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting and Exposition Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado, USA
28-31 October 2007
Abstract Deadline: 10 July
Standard Registration Deadline: 24 September
www.geosociety.org/meetings/2007
Scientists at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center are predicting a high probability (75 per cent chance) of an above-average 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, with 13–17 named tropical storms. Of those, seven to ten would become hurricanes—and as many as five could become major hurricanes. An average Atlantic hurricane season brings 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes, including two major hurricanes.
www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2864.htm
The Chinese of Ministry of Civil Affairs is reported as saying that natural disasters, including typhoons, floods and droughts, killed 3186 people in China in 2006—an increase of 28.7 per cent on the previous year.
Natural disasters damaged some 41 million ha of farmland and destroyed more than 1.9 million houses. Direct economic losses of some US$ 33 billion were the second highest on record and the highest since the floods of 1998.
China experienced its warmest year in 2006 since 1951 and was struck by a series of typhoons and rainstorms.
The Yangtze River Flood Control Headquarters has warned that China's longest river is likely to flood badly this year for the first time since 1998, when more than 3,000 people were killed and 14 million were made homeless.
Ministry of Water Resources, China
WMO is developing a Disaster Risk Reduction Action Plan aimed at saving lives, livelihoods and property from meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards around the world. It will pay particular attention to developing countries, Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
WMO Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Programme
The aim of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is the availability of Earth observations from land- and ocean-based instruments, as well as from aircraft and satellites, in an integrated fashion so that the data may be transformed into vital information for society.
WMO plays a key role in facilitating and coordinating these efforts. The Organization’s World Weather Watch is an essential component for GEOSS as it enables countries to exchange important data for forecasts and warnings.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is offering scholarships for Master of Science and Doctorate (Ph.D.) degrees in Meteorology.
This unique programme is being offered under an arrangement with WMO, PAGASA and the University of the Philippines.
For more information, see www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p070523.htm&no=34&r=&y=&mo
Fifteenth World Meteorological Congress has endorsed WMO’s Strategy and Action Plan for the Enhancement of Cooperation between National Meteorological and Hydrological Services for Improved Flood Forecasting, an important component of which is the International Flash Flood Guiding System with Global Coverage.
On average, flash floods kill more people worldwide than any other natural disaster (over 5000 deaths every year) and cause property damage amounting to millions of dollars.
WMO is taking active steps to address weather and climate impacts on world food security by educating farmers—especially in developing and Least Developed Countries—and through promotion of regional Drought Monitoring Centres.
Twenty-seven members of the Executive Council were elected by Fifteenth World Meteorological Congress today.
The other 10 members are the President and three Vice-Presidents and the presidents of the six regional associations.
Alexander Bedritskiy (Russian Federation) was re-elected President of WMO on 17 May 2007 for a second four-year term.
First Vice-President, Ali Mohammad Noorian (Islamic Republic of Iran) and Second Vice President, Tyrone Sutherland (British Caribbean Territories) were also re-elected for a second term.
Antonio Divino Moura (Brazil) was elected Third Vice-President.
See Press Release No. 783
Michel Jarraud (France) has today been re-appointed Secretary-General by Fifteenth World Meteorological Congress for a second four-year term (2008-2011).
See Press Release No. 782
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