High-impact weather and climate events
in May 2006

The information summarized has been culled from international press reports and is indicative only. For official information, including final statistics, readers are advised to contact the National Meteorological Service of the country in question.

Heavy rains, flash floods, floods, landslides, lightning, monsoons
Bangladesh China, Cuba, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Malaysia, Suriname, Thailand, United Republic of Tanzania, United Kingdom

Bangladesh
Early monsoon rains washed over 400 houses away on two islands in the Bay of Bengal; 10 people died and several were injured in lightning strikes caused by a violent rainstorm regarded as the heaviest in years.

China
Four days of rain- and hailstorms triggered mountain torrents and landslides in the central province of Hunan, killing at least seven people.

Cuba
Nearly 20 cm of rain fell in two hours, flooding tunnels and paralyzing traffic in Havana, sweeping away several homes and their occupants.

India
At least 20 people died in pre-monsoon storms in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Iran, Islamic Republic of
Flooding following torrential rains in the north-western province of Ardebil, 14 lives were lost.

Italy
At least three people were killed in a landslide on the island of Ischia, southern Italy.

Malaysia
Lightning killed two men and injured several others in Kuala Lumpur.

Suriname
Floods caused by several days of rain killed three people and left up to 22 000 others homeless along riverbanks in the central lowlands.

Thailand
More than 100 people were killed in a sea of mud spawned by flash floods in northern Thailand.

United Republic of Tanzania
Severe flooding sparked by heavy rains forced some 20 000 people from their homes, destroying dwellings, crops and hundreds of heads of livestock.

USA
New England experienced heavy rain that triggered the region’s worst flooding since the 1930s. In the Merrimack Valley, north of Boston on the New Hampshire line, the Merrimack and Spicket rivers overflowed their banks and forced the evacuations of hundreds of people.

Snow/severe cold
South Africa
Millions of households in the western Cape had to turn up the heating in their homes and offices as icy weather swept across the country.

Frost
USA
Frost devastated young buds on grape vines in several New York counties.

Heat wave
Pakistan, India  

India
At least 34 people died of heat as temperatures across northern parts rose to around 43°C, four to five degrees above normal. 

Pakistan
At least 50 people died as temperatures across the country hit 50°C.  

Severe storms
Myanmar (cyclone Mala), China, Philippines, Viet Nam (Typhoon Chanchu), Haiti (Tropical Storm Jeanne)

Myanmar
Heavy rain brought by Cyclone Mala killed more than 100 in Yangon.

China
Typhoon Chanchu killed two people in south China and forced the evacuation of more than 630 000 people. 

Philippines
Typhoon Chanchu triggered the evacuation of several hundreds in the central Philippines with flooding and strong winds and  landslides. 

Viet Nam
About 100 fishermen were declared missing as Typhoon Chanchu triggered heavy rain and winds up to 170 km/h in the South China Sea.

Haiti
Tropical Storm Jeanne blew away several houses and buried many in mud and debris.

Tornadoes
USA
Three people were killed and about 10 injured in north Texas, destroying homes and property.

Drought
China, Pakistan, United Kingdom  

Pakistan
Reservoirs in Pakistan were dried-up with no chance of rain as temperatures soared.

China
Beijing was plagued by spring sandstorms and the worst pollution in six years and suffered its seventh successive drought. Only 17 mm of rain fell in the capital in four months.

United Kingdom
Water restrictions were imposed on millions of inhabitants in the worst drought in 100 years. South-east England had less water available per person than parts of Sudan and the southern Mediterranean.