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Last updated: 30 September 2006 |
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Locust swarm infests
Mexico Swarms of locusts have been infesting the Mexican resort of Cancun for several weeks. The insects have already devoured an estimated 1 000 ha of farmland. Local officials using motorized pesticide pumps have been mobilized to tackle the problem, spraying at night when the locusts are resting in fields. Locust numbers in the region have inflated in recent weeks, partly due to hot, calm conditions with few windy storms that help keep swarms in check. |
(Source: National Geographic) |
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Slovenia to host
Drought Management Centre for South-Eastern Europe Slovenia has been selected to host the new Drought Management Centre for South-Eastern Europe. The decision was made at a meeting hosted by WMO in Geneva with the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Slovenia’s proposal gained two-thirds of the vote by the 11 countries of South-Eastern Europe. A working meeting with technical experts from Slovenia will be held at WMO Headquarters in November 2006 to discuss follow-up actions required for the Centre's rapid establishment. |
Drought in South-Eastern Europe |
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Students
on Ice In the context of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2009, Students on Ice has scheduled nine Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. Endorsed by the International Polar Year Joint Committee, these expeditions will provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for over 500 students to explore the polar regions. For more information, see: http://www.studentsonice.com/ |
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Inauguration of Jason-2 ground
station The ground station for the new ocean observing satellite Jason-2 was officially inaugurated in Usingen, Germany, today. The ground station is an important part of the contribution of EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) to the Ocean Surface Topography mission—a joint cooperative effort of the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA and EUMETSAT will be responsible for operating the system and for the near-real-time product distribution. CNES and NASA are the developing agencies for the Jason-2 satellite. Jason-2 is scheduled for launch in June 2008. For more information, see: http://www.eumetsat.int/Home/Main/Media/Press_Releases/028593?l=en |
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El Niño update Climate patterns across the equatorial Pacific over the last 1-2 months have developed a notable tendency toward El Niño conditions. The development of a weak-to-moderate basin-wide El Niño is now likely. Such an event would likely persist into early 2007, although there is a small possibility that the event could dissipate in the next couple of months. In view of the evolving situation, additional caution is required in forming expectations about impacts in those regions typically affected by El Niño events. The situation is expected to become clearer in the next 1-2 months. For the full update, see: El Niño/La Niña Update (September 2006) (French, Spanish) |
Observed Sea Surface
Temperature (°C) on 20 September 2006 |
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Tracking tropical
cyclones Western North
Pacific Ocean and South China Sea
See also: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/
Keep track of tropical cyclones: http://severe.worldweather.org/ |
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Social and
economic security against natural disasters and Some 90% of all natural disasters are of water- and weather-related origin. Their frequency and intensity are likely to increase under the influence of climate change. By 2025, it is projected that an estimated 1.8 billion people will be living in regions of absolute water scarcity and almost two-thirds of the world’s population could be suffering shortages. These and related issues will be examined by the International Conference on the Problems of Hydrometeorological Security taking place in Moscow, Russian Federation, 26-29 September 2006. |
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Third
International Weather Forum The Third International Weather Forum is being organized by the French Meteorological Society in Ajaccio, Corsica, from 9 to 15 October 2006. The accent will be on climate change and environmental issues. Two debates will be organized for the public: "The impact of climate change in Corsica" and "The challenge for Earth". On 13 and 14 October, professionals in the field can participate in four round-table sessions to discuss the climate situation and how best to keep the public informed. For more information, see: www.smf.asso.fr/fim.html |
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2006 Antarctic
ozone hole nears previous record levels The latest WMO Antarctic Ozone Bulletin, issued today, says that the current hole in the ozone layer over the region has exceeded that of last year, and is approaching those of 2003 and 2000, respectively the second largest and largest on record. For more information, see:web/arep/ozone.html
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The ozone layer over the South Pole on
19 September 2006 |
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Special event on Weather, Climate
and Water Services for Development and Disaster Mitigation in the Least
Developed Countries (posted on 20 September) This meeting took place at UN Headquarters, New York, USA, on 13 September 2006. The agenda, online presentations and support documents and brochures are available at: See: http://www.wmo.int/news/LDC_NY_2006 See also item below on Least Developed Countries and Press Release No. 758 |
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Flooding
continues in Africa Overflowing rivers in Sudan, which has suffered flooding in recent weeks, are leading to the spread of malaria and cholera according to health experts. The River Nile remains on high-level flood alert. An estimated 90 000 people have been affected by rising waters throughout the country; livestock and farmland have been lost and communities displaced. Outbreaks of malaria and cholera are also feared in Burkina Faso after heavy rains disrupted the lives of some 20 000 people. In Niger, floods have washed away the homes and livelihoods of 32 000 people, affecting an estimated 49 towns and villages in northern, southern and western areas. |
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SYMET-X The Tenth WMO Symposium on
Education and Training:" Meteorological and Hydrological Education and
Training for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation" (SYMET-X) is being held in
Nanjing, China, from 18 to 22 September 2006. |
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First Arctic
ozone bulletin To mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16 September, WMO has launched its first annual bulletin detailing depletion of the ozone layer over the Arctic. The new WMO product paints a comprehensive picture of ozone depletion in the region where—in contrast with the Antarctic— a substantial number of people live. Unlike the Antarctic "hole", areas of ozone depletion in the Arctic are far more mobile, shifting erratically and exposing regions in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, northern Europe and Siberia harmful ultra-violet rays emitted by the Sun. WMO also produces a regular bulletin on the state of the ozone layer over the Antarctic. |
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Climate change,
natural disasters and journalism A regional workshop on climate change and natural disasters took place in San José, Costa Rica, from 7 to 10 September for 21 journalists from Central American countries and Santo Domingo with support from the National Institute of Meteorology. Topics included responsibility and professionalism in covering natural disasters and the contribution of journalists to reducing loss of life and property in their coverage of such events. National Institute of Costa Rica: http://www.imn.ac.cr/ |
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Rain in Spain
triggers flooding Torrential rain swamped parts of eastern Spain yesterday. One person was killed when a house was swept away in the Balearic Islands. Underground railway stations, rail links and roads were closed and planes delayed in Barcelona. The rain arrived after one of the country’s worst droughts on record. More heavy precipitation is forecast for today; Spain’s National Meteorological Institute has issued flood warnings for Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. |
Weather warnings in
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Least
developed countries The Secretary-General of WMO, Mr Michel Jarraud, has warned that failure to invest adequately in the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) would undermine their efforts to reduce vulnerability to climate risks such as tropical cyclones, floods and drought and their fight against poverty. Weather-, climate- and water-related disasters can wipe out up to 15% of an LDC’s Gross Domestic Product and overwhelm economies but every dollar invested in NMHSs brings, on average, a 10-fold return. The Secretary-General made a keynote presentation at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday at the Special Event on Weather, Climate and Water Services for Development and Disaster Mitigation in LDCs. |
(source: UNCTAD) |
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17th World Conference on
Disaster Management (posted on 14 September) The 17th World Conference on Disaster Management (Emergency Management and Business Continuity Working Together) will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada, from 11 to 18 July 2007. For more information, see: http://www.wdcm/org/ |
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New RA III
officials elected A new president and vice-president have been elected at the 14th session of Regional Association III (South America) currently meeting in Lima, Peru: President:
Ramón Jesus Viñas García (Venezuela) (See also item below.) |
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Weather forecasts
in Spanish for 1 112 cities The National Institute of Meteorology of Spain (INM) and WMO launched a Spanish-language website yesterday, providing access to the latest official weather forecasts for 1 112 cities in 112 countries issued by their National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs). Developed and operated the INM under the auspices of WMO, the Website is the Spanish version of the World Weather Information Service (WWIS) Website created by the Hong Kong Observatory, China, on behalf of WMO. Climatological data are also given for 1 154 cities in 158 countries. See: http://wwis.inm.es |
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Severe weather
disrupts Sydney Severe weather conditions including gale force winds and torrential rain caused major disruptions in Sydney, Australia, over the weekend 9-10 September. Flooding prompted officials to close roads and railway networks. Winds gusting up to 7 113 km/h forced the shutdown of Sydney Airport as well as ferry services. More then 50 mm of snow fell on the Blue Mountains. |
Flash flooding and strong
winds have caused delays across Sydney |
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South America
meeting opens The 14th session of WMO Regional Association III (South America) began on 7 September in Lima, Peru. At the opening ceremony, the Secretary-General, Mr Michel Jarraud, remarked: "Notable gaps still remain in terms of data coverage, due in part to deficiencies in the observing and telecommunication networks, but also to the high cost of equipment, as well as lack of consumables and spare parts. This is a major issue which will require more collaboration by all Members of the Region." National Meteorological and Hydrological Services everywhere require continual modernization and adequate staff training to keep up with rapid technological developments. The session ends on 13 September. |
Opening session |
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Fears of
bushfires and water shortages in Australia The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM) said yesterday that the country faced a widespread risk of bushfires and worsening water shortages. Last month Australia witnessed its driest August since records began in 1900 and its hottest since 1950. Southern Australia has been suffering a dry period since late 1996 and eastern Australia since 2002; ABM warned that consequences would be wide-ranging if current low rainfall and high temperatures persist. The Bureau of Meteorology is monitoring indicators showing an increasing risk of an El Niño event developing, which could mean less rainfall and above-average temperatures. See also: http://www.wmo.int/web/Press/watkins.pdf |
Bushfire at Twin Hills |
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Drought in China
to continue The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) predicts that the drought in south-west China will continue until at least mid-September. Precipitation for the whole of September (usually part of the rainy season) is expected to be close to or less than normal. However, ongoing high-pressure means that dry conditions in the affected region will extend until around 15 September. Sichuan has been experiencing its worst drought in 50 years and Chongqing, its worst in around a century. Just 227 mm of rain have fallen since June—the lowest recorded for south-west China since 1976. Some areas have experienced up to 60 days without rain. An estimated 18 million people suffered water shortages last month and millions of hectares of farmland have been ruined. CMA says that a lack of cold air currents from the north, a more northward and westward shift in the West Pacific sub-tropical high and reduced winter snow over the Tibetan Plateau have combined to cause the monsoon rain belt to push northwards with less rainfall along the Yangtze River Basin. CMA Website: www.cma.gov.cn |
Drought at Guangdong |
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Bilis
and Saomai China was struck by two devastating
typhoons, Bilis and Saomai, in July and August this year. An
analysis of the meteorological factors which made the two typhoons so
destructive has been made by Duan Yihong of the National Meteorological Centre,
China Meteorological Administration. |
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Flooding in India Monsoon rains over the past few days have prompted further flooding in the east Indian state of Orissa. More than 1.5 million people have been displaced and nearly 250 000 hectares of farmland damaged. Some 4 000 villages have been affected by the flooding; over 350 are cut off. Renewed rainfall has been triggered by a depression in the Bay of Bengal which is prompting fears that cyclonic winds may soon arrive to batter the region. Flooding in Orissa has taken the lives of some 70 people over the last three months. |
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European
Meteorological Society The sixth annual meeting of the European Meteorological Society (EMS) took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 4 to 8 September in parallel with the Sixth European Conference on Applied Climatology (organized by the European Climate Support Network). Session topics at the EMS meeting included environmental meteorology, severe weather and atmospheric hazards, as well as short-range forecasting methods. Also scheduled was a special "Media" session to examine ways of improving communication and understanding between scientists, media and the public. Meeting and conference website:http://meetings.copernicus.org/ems2006 |
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2006 Stockholm
Water Prize The 2006 Stockholm Water Prize was awarded to Prof. Asit K. Biswas (Canada) by HRH Crown Princess Victoria on 24 August 2006 at a special ceremony in Stockholm during World Water Week. For more information about the Prize
and this year’s laureate, see: |
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International
Disaster Reduction Conference WMO is taking part in the International Disaster Reduction Conference in Davos, Switzerland, from 27 August to 1 September. Topics include multi-hazard management, including environmental aspects of flood management and management of weather-, climate- and water-related environmental risks, including stratospheric ozone depletion, airborne pollution, forest fires as well as floods and dust- and sandstorms. The Conference is jointly organized by the Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction (GADR), the Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN/International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. See the Conference website: http://www.davos2006.ch/ See also: http://www.wmo.int/disasters/ |
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New WMO
publication on drought monitoring and early warning Drought monitoring and early warning: concepts, progress and future challenges (WMO-No. 1006) has just been published. It explains the various concepts and challenges of drought monitoring and early warning systems. 24 pp., numerous figures and photos in full colour. To obtain this publication, see the catalogue of WMO publications: http://www.wmo.int/web/catalogue/ It can also be downloaded (pdf) from: http://www.wmo.int/web/catalogue/freedwn/index.html For more information, see: http://www.wmo.int/web/wcp/agm/agmp.html and Info Note No. 26 |
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Wildfires in USA Unusually hot, dry, windy weather conditions have contributed to the most serious wildfire season in the USA in six years, especially in north-western areas. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of land have been burned in the states of Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington and parts of northern California. According to reports, 43 new fires ignited in Oregon on 22 and 23 August, some with flames of up to 14 m high, forcing the closure of several major highways. Combustible material such as dead leaves has been accumulating throughout the region since last year when the wildfire season was far less intense. |
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Latest issue of
the WMO Bulletin The July issue of the newly designed WMO Bulletin is now available, together with a CD-ROM. The theme of this issue is "Flooding and sustainable development", with several articles by experts in the field and an interview with Li Guoying of the Chinese Yellow River Conservancy Commission, as well as other feature articles. To buy this issue or to subscribe to the WMO Bulletin, contact: pubsales@wmo.int or see the WMO catalogue online at: http://www.wmo.int/web/catalogue/cat_en.html
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Iraqi meteorologists trained
in Jordan The Jordan Meteorological Department has organized two intensive training events for some 30 meteorologists from the Iraq Meteorological Organization. Most of the trainees were young graduates with little or no operational experience in meteorology who will be operating aeronautical meteorological offices. They received theoretical and practical training in various topics with emphasis on aviation meteorology. The training was carried out at the Meteorological Training Centre and at the National Weather Forecasting Centre in Amman, Jordan. These events support the efforts of the Iraq Meteorological Organization to rebuild its capacity and rehabilitate its human resources through bilateral agreements and collaboration with neighbouring and other WMO Members.. |
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Indian Ocean
tsunami-detection buoy to be installed Progress is being made in the effort to develop an end-to-end regional warning system for tsunamis and other hazards in the Indian Ocean. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will deploy the first of two deep-ocean monitoring buoys in the Indian Ocean in December, located to give many of the region’s 27 coastal nations warning of an impending tsunami via WMO ’s Global Telecommunication System. See: http://www.wmo.int/web/www/TEM/gts.html |
Deployment of a tsunami buoy |
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Catalogue of WMO
publications—2006 edition The catalogue is available in hard copy, together with a CD-ROM, free upon request from pubsales@wmo.int. |
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Southern Africa
Climate Outlook Forum The Climate Experts Meeting and 10th Southern Africa Climate Outlook Forum get underway today in Harare, Zimbabwe. Climate scientists attend the initial meeting and are joined for the Forum by stakeholders whose work heavily relies on weather forecasts. Experts from southern Africa’s 14 countries will examine issues such as the El Niño phenomenon and behaviour of the Indian Ocean, both of which are linked to regional drought and rainfall patterns. They are then expected to reach a consensus forecast about the rainfall season, considered crucial for sectors such as agriculture, aviation, health and tourism. The Forum ends on 31 August. |
(Credit map: UNEP/GRID-Arendal) |
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Ozone depletion—latest According to the the WMO/UNEP Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2006, the ozone layer over mid-latitudes (30°-60°N and S) should recover by 2049, five years later than anticipated by the previous assessment (2002). Ozone over the Antarctic should recover by 2065, 15 years later than earlier predictions. Because of special conditions within the Antarctic vortex (a natural cyclone of super-cold, super-fast winds), the Antarctic ozone hole is expected to recur regularly for another two decades. The later projected date of recovery over mid-latitudes is primarily the result of upward revisions in the amounts of certain chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases now contained in refrigerators and other equipment, from which much of both types will eventually be released. Higher estimates of future production levels of a CFC substitute that, although much safer, still causes some depletion) is another factor. Recovery of the Antarctic ozone layer will
take place later than previously calculated due to the greater age of air in
that region. This essentially means that ozone-depleting molecules take longer
to reach (and also dissipate from) the stratsophere, a factor not previously
taken into account. http://www.wmo.int/web/arep/reports/ozone_2006/ozone_asst_report.html |
The ozone layer over the South Pole on 14 August 2006 (Image: NASA) |
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Hot weather brings jellyfish to Mediterranean waters Marine biologists are blaming the weather for plagues of jellyfish which have forced the closure of some Spanish beaches. An estimated 30 000 people have been stung by the creatures throughout the Mediterranean since the beginning of the summer. Sicily and North Africa have also been seriously affected. Experts say the hot dry conditions and the resulting lack of runoff from local rivers have been providing ideal conditions for the jellyfish invasions. Overfishing of their natural predators is another explanation for the appearance of vast numbers in coastal waters where 10 jellyfish per square metre have been recorded in some areas. |
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Revised hurricane season forecast
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has fine-tuned its predictions for this year’s tropical cyclone season in the Atlantic and Caribbean. NOAA forecasters are now expecting between seven and nine hurricanes, with three or four developing into major ones. At the beginning of the season, NOAA predicted 13-16 named storms with eight to 10 as hurricanes and four to six as major events. However, officials pointed out that this year is still likely to be more active than average owing to warm sea-surface temperatures and favourable wind patterns. The season officially ends 30 November though tropical cyclones have been known to develop in the region after that date. The last hurricane of the 2005 season developed on 30 December and persisted until 6 January 2006. Also during last year’s record hurricane season, nine storms had already been named by 8 August compared to this year’s figure of three. |
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Website
for safety at sea The
operational official Website of the Joint WMO/IOC Commission for Oceanography
and Marine Meteorology provides real-time access to marine weather information (e.g. movement of
cyclones) produced under the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System:
http://weather.gmdss.org. See also WMO
Bulletin 53 (2) or online (Word version) |
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