*Archive:*Weather around the World 5

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Typhoon Nida continues to die off as it pushes northeastward despite moving at more than 17 mph. Early Wednesday morning EDT, winds with the system continue to be sustained near 115 mph with gusts to 145 mph. The center of the storm is near 21.2 degrees north and 126.4 degrees east. The storm is currently nearly 360 miles south-southwest of Naha, Okinawa, Japan. As the storm continues on its northeastward track, it will pass by and possibly even graze the eastern parts of Japan near Tokyo. As it does move past Japan, the system will be down to tropical storm force and bring more rainfall to southern and eastern Japan Thursday into Thursday evening.

Another storm in the eastern Pacific, Typhoon Omais, will remain to the east of the Phillipines as it moves northward and eventually recurve to the northeast. Though this storm will continue to have winds of near Typhoon force, the storm is not expected to affect any major islands over the next 24-48 hours. The storm was near 10.9 degrees north and 134.0 east early Wednesday morning EDT. The storm will continue to accelerate to the north at 11 mph. The storm was more than 250 miles to the north of Koror and nearly 300 miles to the west of the island of Yap. Little change in strength is expected over the next 24 hours.

A tropical system, 2B, continues to move towards land in Myanmar. The storm will continue to move slowly inland at 12 knots. The storm is located near 20.2 north and 92.5 east, or 70 miles west-southwest of Sittwe, Myanmar. The winds with the storm are currently sustained near 70 mph with gusts nearly 85 mph.The storm will continue to die off as it moves inland over the country and slowly dies off.

Chilly air continued to be over much of northern Canada, mainly Nunavut and the Northwest Territory. Temperatures across the area on Tuesday were very cold with average lows more than 30 degrees below normal and highs nearly 20 degrees below normal. Temperatures at Chesterfield, Nunavut, Canada were as low as -8 degrees, more than 30 degrees below their normal low, and 13 degrees for a high, nearly 20 degrees below their normal high of 35 degrees. Hall Beach, Nunavut, were also -8 degrees for a low Tuesday, nearly 30 degrees below their normal low of 18. The high reached 18, more than 10 degrees below their normal high of 30.

Information thanks to accuweather

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20/05/2004

By Everton Fox

When it rains it pours

This weekend sees the 5th Great Wall of China marathon and half marathon held in the picturesque and unspoilt surroundings of China's Tianjin Province. The conditions should be good for the runners as the weather is set fair. That is in stark contrast to the recent weather across southwest China. Lincang in the Yunnan Province usually gets around 95mm of rain in May. However a slow moving area of heavy and thundery rain dropped 133mm of rain in just 36 hours leading up to 1200 GMT on Wednesday.

It has also been very unsettled in the eastern Mediterranean. A thunderstorm, tracking over Crete dropped 14mm, almost a month's worth of rain, over Iraklion in 18 hours. The monthly average is 15.3mm. Northern Egypt has also been relatively wet. A slow moving cold front brought 1mm of rain to Dabaa, near Alexandria in 6 hours. This may not sound like much but it does represent a wet day for the region as it matches the total monthly average rainfall.

Meanwhile, high temperatures have been making the weather headlines in central and western Europe. The temperature hit 30 Celsius on Wednesday afternoon in Milan, Italy compared to a monthly average of 22C. Similar values were reached in Portugal. Lisbon touched 30C and Porto 31C. The average maximum temperature being 21 and 20C respectively.

However, for real heat the focus remains on South Asia. Northern India and Pakistan are still suffering from the heatwave . On Wednesday, Islamabad reached 43C with highs of 46C in Lahore and 51C in Jacobabad. That is a severly uncomfortable 124 Fahrenheit.

The heat is not likely to ease significantly until the onset of the summer rains over the coming weeks. In the case of Pakistan that could well be late June.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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21/05/2004

By Darren Bett

Tropical downpours and scorching heat

Just over a week ago we were monitoring storm 'Nida' as it flirted with the Philippines. Since then Nida has taken a northeasterly track and recently dumped a lot of rain on the Japanese island of Hachijojima, south of Honshu. Here about half a months worth of rain was recorded in just 36 hours.

The rain has pushed as far north as Tokyo but won't make further inroads across the island. Nida is moving over cooler waters and losing energy. Pulling away from Honshu it will continue to weaken. After once being a Super Typhoon, winds are now only gusting to 60mph.

Just the other day our second cyclone of the season formed in the Bay of Bengal. Tropical Cyclone 2B has since drifted across Myanmar into Thailand. Bhumipol Dam in northwest Thailand measured 119mm of rain in 36 hours, not far short of the May average.

At this time of year we should be on the look out for wet weather in south Asia as the southwest monsoon advances.

There are usually two arms to the monsoon. The first brings rain across the Bay of Bengal into Myanmar and the second initially brings the downpours to southern India. We are seeing this familair pattern at the moment. The southern states of India, suchas Karnataka and Kerala, will continue to see most of the rain over the next few days.

It's going to take many weeks for the rain to move north into Rajasthan and across the border into Pakistan. Relief from the heatwave is not in sight, and it's not just the residents that are suffering.

Keepers at Lahore Zoo are administering glucose daily to the birds and animals to save them from the dehydrating effects of the scorching heat. Air coolers have been installed in front of some of the cages and blocks of ice supplied to provide cold water to the animals.

Related Links: BBC Weather Feature - Asian Monsoon

BBC Weather Feature - Asian Monsoon - Impacts

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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22/05/2004

By Matt Taylor

The monsoon season begins.

As the southwest monsoon in Asia now starts to get into gear, parts of Pakistan and India are currently sweltering in their usual pre-monsoon heat.

At Jacobabad, in the north of the Sindh province, the temperature on Friday soared to an extremely uncomfortable 50.5 Celsius (123 F). This is over 6 degrees higher than their average May maximum temperature.

It has been similarly uncomfortable over much of India. Earlier this week, the mercury soared to 46 Celsius (114 F) in Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal, while on Friday, Lucknow in the Utter Pradesh state saw the temperature reach a seering 43.2 Celsius (110 F) by day. There was little relief from the heat overnight as the mercury dipped no lower than 29.2 Celsius (85 F).

There was both a human and infrastructure cost to such sweltering heat. Schools were closed, and as people searched for methods in which to cool down, power cuts struck many areas. This resulted in the shutting down of fans, air-conditioning, and water pumps, which only helped to exacerbate the conditions further. So far, there have been 42 deaths reported though the week across India due to heat stroke. Many will be longing for the early arrival of the monsoon rains.

In north-east India, this is already the case. Not only do the rains bring some welcome relief from the heat, but they are also essential for the regions agriculture. During the week we saw the wet weather edge northwards up the Bay of Bengal and into north-east India, although it won't be until later on in June/July before it reaches other areas of India and then Pakistan.

The monsoon rains have also been fairly intense so far this week, particularly in eastern parts of Thailand. Between midnight GMT on the 19th May and 0600 GMT on the 22nd May, Kanchanburi, in the southeast, received 132 mm (5.2 inches) of rain. This already exceeds their average rainfall for the whole of the month of 120 mm (4.7 inches).

Even more rain fell further north at Mae Sot. In the 96 hours to midnight on Friday 201 mm (7.9 inches) of rain was reported. Once again, this is above their monthly of 145 mm (5.7 inches).

Related Links: BBC Weather Feature - Asian Monsoon

BBC Weather Feature - Asian Mknsoon - Impacts

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[Matty M]

Thanks Highcliffe for all these

Reviews

No one seems to give

you praise so i thought it

was time. Well Done and

Keep up the good work

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Thanks Matty, it's nice to get some recignition (sp?), from doing this from time to time, though I thoroughly enjoy doing it

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23/05/2004

By Victoria Graham

Drenched in sunshine

It's amazing how the weather can change the feel of a place...

This last week I was staying in Plymouth, not the first time I have visited, but the first time during a Summer month, and what a difference the sunshine makes. I think wherever you were in Britain last week, we all experienced some sunshine and some pretty decent temperatures, and if like me you were lucky enough to be by the sea, then the experience was all the more pleasant.

Sunshine and dry weather however are not always a welcome combination. I suspect you would expect little else in the desert, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are prepared for it...take Las Vegas for instance. The average summertime temperature here is 36C (97F), but this is made more bearable by the low humidity. The rainfall expectations are low with an average of 5mm a month during May and June and that rising to 13mm a month during July and August. However, over the last five years there has been a drought.

For several years running there has been below-average snowfall in the Rocky Mountains and the run-off has only produced half the water on which the West depends. Two huge reservoirs, each more than 100 miles long, Lake Mead in Nevada and Lake Powell in Arizona, were created to supply the regions growing cities. This summer Lake Powell is only 40% full and Lake Mead is falling significantly as well.

City councils across America's arid western states are being forced to introduce "desert landscaping" around their buildings as there isn't enough water to cope with lush gardens. Swimming pools are banned from new housing estates and only the big, lavish casinos on the 'Strip' in Las Vegas are allowed to keep their fountains running. In Nevada and Arizona, golf courses are being redesigned with grass limited to the greens and football pitches are being bulldozed as the grass is parched.

In Britain we have had a few very warm and dry summers, 1976 springs to mind and even just last year we were breaking record temperatures. No prediction from me about the forthcoming summer conditions, but this next week at least looks like being rather settled and dry, and dare I say it, warm...

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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24/05/2004

By Susan Powell

Tornadoes tear their way across North America

Days of severe weather have brought devastation to the northern US Plains, the Midwest and eastern Canada.

The storms began to kick off late on Friday as a chain of low pressure centres pushed their way across the States. Extra energy was added to these weather systems as warm air was sucked up ahead of them all the way from the Gulf of Mexico - so as the storms broke they were sure to be big but in many areas exceeded all expectations.

On Friday night, the village of Bradgate, Ohio, was practically flattened as a tornado swept through here damaging every home - with 90% of the properties completely destroyed. 15 people were injured but amazingly all injuries were minor.

Michigan was also badly affected by storms during Friday, with the area around Detroit being lashed by heavy rain and swept with flash flooding.

However, this was to be just the beginning - the weekend showing the storms at their strongest.

More than 80 tornadoes were reported in Nebraska on Saturday. In some areas residents reported their ears popping as the tornadoes approached - all due to the severe drop in pressure as the cores of the storms swung close by. (Pressure drops can be of the order of 10's of millibars in a matter of seconds - the greatest ever measured into the core of a tornado was 100 millibars!) The small town of Hallam, home to around 300 people, was one of the spots worst hit - there are now fears that it may be impossible to rebuild. This is however, just the tip of the iceberg, with much of Nebraska now declared a state of emergency.

By Saturday night severe storms were being reported in a band of such magnitude across the Great Plains and the Midwest that air traffic across the central US was all but brought to a stand still. The storms also brought things to a halt on the ground - 400,000 homes were without power.

The tornadoes also crossed the border into Canada on Saturday night, with one of the strongest storms reported in eight years striking southwestern Ontario. Wind speeds were estimated to have reached up to 185mph around one system which whipped the roof of a home at Gads Hill. Amazingly the homeowner who was at the time in a room on the top floor was unscathed.

As for Sunday - the stormy story continued as the string of weather systems slowly pushed thier way northeastwards. The reports of the days conditions are only slowly trickling in at the moment - but looking forward, more headlines are to be expected for the start of this week as the weather systems move towards the eastern seaboard.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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25/05/2004

By Susan Powell

Rains bring devastation to Hispaniola

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds left homeless in the Dominican Repuplic and Haiti following torrential Caribbean thunderstorms.

Heavy rain has been affecting the island of Hispaniola, made of the two countries, for a number of days now. It is believed in some areas over 30cm of rain fell in just a matter of hours. This of course has put tremendous strain on all the water courses and for some the ensuing scenes have been ones of devastation.

One of the worst affected areas has been the town of Jimani, close to the Haiti border, around 170 miles west of the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo. At least sevently lives have been lost here as the Solie river, whose source is in Haiti, dramatically burst its banks in the early hours of Monday morning, practically wiping out the entire town.

Santo Domingo itself was also hard hit - the storms here toppled electrical lines and cut the power for large parts of the population.

In Haiti, there were unconfirmed reports that over fifty people had been killed in the town of Fonds Verette, northeast of Port-au-Prince. Many other nearby communities are also known to have been hit by the ravages of the storms but details are currently slow to immerge, the towns being completely isolated as a result of landslides.

The neighbouring island of Peurto Rico has also experienced some heavy rainfall recently but here the effects have fortunately been less extensive. Never the less the situation is still a serious one. Here at least four lives are known to have been lost in the capital San Juan, and many families have been forced from their homes and into shelters.

The islands of the Caribbean are certainly no strangers to big thunderstorms. Localised heavy downpours, triggered by a combination of the heat of the day and convergence of low level winds (largely sea breezes) pushing up towering clouds which eventually tend to go bang, are common place in the late afternoon and evening.

The recent rains have however differed from this as they have not been originating from the single relatively small 'cells' of individual towering clouds. In this instance a large coherent ball of cloud, several hundred miles in diameter, has been clearly observed sitting in the Caribbean. The winds in the affected area have remained reasonably light throughout which prevents this system being described as a tropical storm - but needless to say the rainfall here been displaying suitable characteristics.

For now we are regarding the cloud mass as an active depression - but of course the system will remain under observation for any signs of development. It is hoped the heaviest of the rainfall will pass in the next 24 hours though of course it will take longer for the high water levels to recede. In addition to Peurto Rico and Hispaniola the islands of Antigua and Barbuda also remain on a high state of storm and flood alert for the immediate future.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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26/05/2004

By Elizabeth Saary

Death toll rises in Hispaniola

The damage and loss of life is still being assessed after the recent torrential rain and devastating floods across the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. The island is made up of Haiti and the Dominican Republic and they have both been badly affected.

The latest estimates are that around 500 people have been killed by the raging flood waters but there are still many thousands left unaccounted for, so this figure is sure to continue rising. Days of unusually heavy rain from a tropical depression gave rise to the floodwaters which took many people by surprise as they swept through towns and villages overnight.

Thousands more people who survived the floods have seen their homes, livelihoods and in some cases, whole villages swept away by the raging torrent.

The widespread destruction of crops will be a particular blow to Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the Americas. Now that the worst of the rain has passed, hopefully the floodwaters will begin to recede.

Further north in the United States, some rather violent weather has also been taking place. Tornadoes are common at this time of year and there have been plenty of them. Over fifty tornadoes have broken out across the eastern half of the US since Monday. They have upturned cars, torn houses apart and scattered much debris in their paths.

The tornadoes are associated with stormy weather and there have been plenty of large thunderstorms. Hail the size of golf balls has been falling from the sky along with torrential downpours of rain.

The amount and intensity of rainfall has given rise to some dangerous floods with the Des Plaines river in Gurnee, Illinois getting very close to record levels. There has also been widespread power loss and the total bill for the damage caused by this latest round of storms is expected to run into the millions of dollars.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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27/05/2004

By Tori Good

Further News on the Hispaniola Floods

The most serious weather story remains the torrential flooding and devastating loss of life in Hispaniola, in the Caribbean. Further rain fell during the day yesterday, taking the total recorded rainfall in Santo Domingo to a massive 279mm, with 189mm (which is alone more than the average for the whole of May) falling during Monday.

In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 1700 people have now been reported dead or missing. But, in the preliminary fight to provide aid, lack of portable food, water and medicine is hindering progress significantly. There is also now the added threat of epidemics (due to disease from unburied corpses and animal remains) for the remaining population. There is still huge difficulty in reaching the hardest hit areas, which has prevented an accurate assessment of the situation so far.

But, weather is still making headlines for other parts of the globe too. In Pakistan, the city of Drosh had 54mm of rain in just six hours. Also, in Sheikhupura, in the Punjab region, high winds, dust storms and rain have been the main feature of the last 24 hours. Pre-monsoon heat has been temporarily reduced considerably, but there are plenty of uprooted trees and signposts littered around the landscape.

Talking of heat, things have been really heating up in Africa once again. Luxor, Egypt, is usually hot at this time of year, with average temperatures reaching 37 Celsius. However, on Wednesday afternoon, the mercury exceeded this by ten degrees, with a sweltering 47 Celsius.

For South Africa, winter should be bringing the cooler times in, but not so for Alexander Bay. Here, on Wednesday, the high was 36 Celsius (more akin to Luxor's average, in fact) rather than the rather more seasonal 23 degrees recorded here in May.

Informationm thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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28/05/2004

By Tori Good

More storms, and it's still raining in Hispaniola

If you've been reading these weather reviews over the past few days, then you'll be aware of the catastrophic flooding and mudslides that have affected Hispaniola in the Caribbean this week. With hundreds of people missing, the final death toll is feared to be as many as 2000.

Further steady rain returned on Thursday, although not with the same intensity as has been seen the past few days. It has, however, not helped the US Marines' efforts to deliver drinking water and chlorine tablets, together with medical supplies, to remote towns where the numbers of the deceased are quickly rising still.

In the USA, tornadoes continue to cause chaos in the Tennessee Valley. The Midwest is prone to tornadoes and storms at this time of year, as the temperature contrast across the continent is so great. Cold, arctic air blowing in from the north clashes with warm, tropical winds from the Gulf of Mexico, and where they meet, the resultant up draught causes the tornadoes to be set off.

St Louis in Missouri was not only hit by tornadoes on Thursday night, but also with accompanying thunderstorms and heavy rain, leaving motorists to attempt the drive home through flooded streets. Ohio has also suffered flooding following two weeks of continuous stormy weather.

Speaking of storms, the Atlantic hurricane season officially gets underway on Tuesday, 1st June. Having said that, last year did see a tropical storm develop early, which was extremely unusual! There does seem to be a mass of cloud developing off the west coast of Africa at the moment (the spawning ground for the Atlantic storms), so there could well be an active start to this year's season too.

As it happens, this year is predicted to be slightly more active than average, with 14 named storms expected to develop, 8 of these to reach hurricane strength. You can find out how accurate this is around November time!

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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29/05/2004

By Sarah Wilmshurst

More storms around the world

Most of the weather news at the moment is not good. There are storms across the Midwest of the USA, rain delays at the PGA golf, more rain in Hispaniola, flooding in Central China, and pouring rain in Papua New Guinea. Although not a weather story, I will just mention that there has also been an earthquake in northern Iran.

Let me start in the USA, then, and parts of Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia were declared disaster areas on Friday as destructive winds and torrential rain swamped rivers and caused storm damage. These storms were responsible for at least four deaths.

More storms are expected across the Midwest this weekend as cold air from Canada has pushed southward over the Great Lakes and the heat is building in the Plains. A vigorous storm system and cold front will trigger additional rounds of severe thunderstorms with hail, damaging winds, some tornadoes and heavy rain.

The Senior PGA Championship golf has been plagued by rain over the last few days, with five inches of rain reportedly falling in the past week. This rain caused the creek that runs through the course to burst its banks, flooding fairways and parking areas. They are still hopeful that they can complete the 72 holes, unlike back in 2000 when the Championship (which was played in Florida) was shortened to 54 holes.

There is not much new to report on the situation in Hispaniola as relief efforts continue. The death toll is reported to be in the region of 2000, and the disaster is being called one of the worst natural disasters to hit the Caribbean. More rain is forecast to fall in the next few days.

Meanwhile in Central China's Hubei Province flood water broke a temporary reservoir dam on Thursday, causing three deaths. The flooding followed a torrential downpour, where 66mm (about two and a half inches) of rain fell in one day.

Finally, a large tropical storm has crossed Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, with 115mm (about four and a half inches) of rain falling in just six hours in Timiki.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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30/05/2004

By Sarah Wilmshurst

Cyclone news

If you read the Weather News regularly you may remember that a few days ago we were talking about cyclone '02B' near Myanmar. I can now tell you about the destruction that this particular cyclone caused in the area back on May 19th.

On the 17th May a cyclone formed in the Indian Ocean. Over the warm waters it intensified, first of all moving south westwards, but then swinging round and moving towards the east - straight towards the west coast of Myanmar. By the time it arrived on the morning of the 19th May local time the winds were at 86mph, with gusts in excess of 100mph reported.

The cyclone hit the west coast near to the border with Bangladesh, affecting Rakhine state in particular. Reports are still coming in, but at this stage it seems that at least 140 people were killed by the storm and 18,000 were left homeless. At least 84 ships were lost at sea as well as an ocean liner. Some local people report that the cyclone was even worse that the one that hit in 1968, the last major one to hit Myanmar.

The destruction that this cyclone caused came just a year after the flooding when a million acres of land were under water. This was the worst flooding in 30 years.

Meanwhile in Hispaniola in the Caribbean, the rain has not been falling recently, although showers are still forecast in the next few days. However, the rescue efforts have been hampered in Jimini (Dominican Republic) by a minor earthquake. The main weather problem has been the sun and high temperatures. On Saturday the temperature reached 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).

Related Links: cyclone 02B 2004

cyclone 02B map

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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31/05/2004

By Susan Powell

Storms rip through the Midwest

Thunderstorms have once again battered the Midwest this weekend, just over a week after previous scenes of devastation.

The meteorological set up which spawned the storms has been an all to familar one across the eastern half of the States recently. A cold front crossing from the Great Plains, dragging cold air down behind it. Warm air ahead of the front pumping up from the Gulf of Mexico. As the two meet and mix the results can never fail to be anything but explosive.

Nebraska, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri were all badly hit by this recent cluster of storms.

On Saturday night, a tornado hit northwest Missouri near the town of Weatherby, leveling a house and ripping a a mobile home from its base. Three people were fatally injured here but amazingly two children were found alive under the rouble.

A US National Weather Service meteorologist said tornadoes were also reported in six other Missouri counties, including one in Platte County that appeared quarter of a mile wide on video footage.

Some of the weekends worst damage was in Marengo, Indianapolis, where witnessess reported tornadoes toppling dozens of trees, practically cutting off the town as roads were made impassable late Sunday,. High winds also destroyed homes and businesses in the town of about 1,000 people.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis said it saw evidence of a tornado touchdown close to it office on the southwest side of the city. The worst of the storm passed south of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but never the less rain still managed to delay the start of the Indianapolis 500 race by a couple of hours.

Sunday's storms knocked out power to more than 130,000 customers in Illinois and the St Louis area. Many flights were delayed or canceled from O'Hare and Midway airports.

The severe weather also swept through Nebraska, including at least two tornadoes in the southern part of the state. Two people jogging in Omaha on Saturday were seriously injured by a lightning strike. The storms also knocked out electricity to thousands of customers across the state.

The line of storms responsible is now clearing the east coast. However, the period of calm for the Midwest may be only short lived - there are signs of another active frontal system developing and pushing eastwards later this week.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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01/06/2004

By Elizabeth Saary

Sydney records longest autumn dry spell on record

Australia has been blighted by a persistent drought in recent years. Although there has been relief in most parts, others are still suffering - namely Victoria and New South Wales. The ongoing drought has just produced the longest autumn dry spell in Sydney since records began in 1859.

During the 55 day period from 7th April to 31st May 2004, a total of less than 10mm of rain has fallen in the city. The last time such a small amount of rain was recorded was fifty years ago during a dry spell of 48 days in autumn 1954.

The total rainfall in the past three months in total adds up to just 142mm, giving Sydney its driest autumn since 1965 when only 136mm was recorded.

The dry weather is quite exceptional given that autumn is normally Sydney's wettest season with an average seasonal rainfall of 383mm.

In terms of 'rain days' - the number of days in the season when rain is recorded - Sydney only clocked up 16 days during autumn. This is the lowest number of rain days since 1888 when there were only 14 days with rain.

Australia is one of the largest grain exporters in the world, but its crops suffered very badly in 2002 and 2003 during the worst drought to hit the country for 100 years. Until recently, it was feared that the whole of Australia would be affected by another crop-devastating drought, but in actual fact, apart from the very dry parts of New South Wales and Victoria, most of the country has seen good rains in the past few weeks.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is continuing to forecast normal rainfall for the coming winter months.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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02/06/2004

By Elizabeth Saary

Today's weather news from around the world

The USA is still counting the cost after the recent spate of storms and tornadoes that wreaked havoc over the Midwest last weekend. The final cost of the damage will run into many millions of dollars.

Elsewhere in the world, the weather has been fairly quiet recently. At present there are no tropical storms, typhoons or hurricanes, but the active season for the northern hemisphere is underway.

At the moment a conference is taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii where researchers are hoping to gain more insight into the link between these storms and El Nino in order to help smaller island communities prepare for these often disastrous weather events.

The goal is to co-ordinate research and share data from around the world to help them plan for typhoons and hurricanes which are thought to be more active in an El Nino year. Hawaii was ravaged by hurricanes Iwa and Iniki in 1982 and 1992 - both El Nino years. El Nino is the name given to a shift in the distribution of warm and cool areas of the ocean, which in turn can have a far-reaching impact on weather patterns.

Joining the researchers in Hawaii are scientists from Guam, Palau, the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and the Federated Statse of Micronesia.

Back in Australia, as autumn comes to an end, there has been some unusually wet weather. The town of Tarcoola, South Australia has seen over a month's worth of rain, 24mm, fall in just 24 hours. The monthly average for June is 18mm.

Parts of Europe have also been a bit washed out. In the Jura region of eastern France, Besancon has received a quarter of the average June rainfall already this month. 27mm of rain fell in just twelve hours early on Tuesday. The average for the month is 93mm.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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03/06/2004

By Jay Wynne

Recent events in India

India's south-westerly monsoon, the wet season, began early this year and it continues to bring some heavy bursts of rain over the southern states. We have also seen some heavy rain in some north eastern areas.

However, the heavy monsoon rains haven't arrived yet in the state of Bihar, in the remote north east. We have seen some showers here recently but they haven't been causing any problems - strong winds have. Bihar is a poor state with a large population, most of whom live in villages where a lot of the housing isn't what it could be. Wednesday saw strong winds bring down a number of houses, sixteen people lost their lives and dozens of families were left without a home. There was also significant damage to growing crops.

The Indian Meteorological Department have called these strong winds a pre-monsoon phenomenon and as such we are likely to see similar episodes in the next few weeks before the proper monsoon rains arrive in this part of the country.

India's economy relies on the agricultural sector and this in turn relies on the monsoon rains.

In the Punjab, north western India we have seen the weather bring a variety of problems to the mango growers of the region. The crop was looking good with large numbers of flowers on the mango trees. The last few weeks have been very hot indeed with temperature generally above the 40C (104F) mark and this has led to the need for more than the usual amount of irrigation. The canals were dry and consequently there was no extra water available, as a result the mango trees shed a good percentage of their young fruits - putting quite a dent in potential yield and profit. Recent dust storms in the area haven't helped either.

Mangoes originated in India and south east Asia and are now cultivated around the tropics. There are hundreds of different mangoes, from plum sized fruits to the mighty Keitt variety which averages about 2lbs (1kg) but it can grow to twice that size.

Related Links: BBC Weather Feature - Asian Monsson

BBC Weather Feature - Asian Monsoon - Impacts

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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04/06/2004

By Sarah Wilmshurst

Flooding in Europe and Fiji

We can look forward to a lot of dry weather over the next few days, but the complete opposite has been true of many other parts of Europe recently with plenty of heavy rain reported.

I'll start in Austria where several days of heavy rain have caused flooding in many areas. In the past two days 140mm (nearly six inches) of rain has fallen. Swollen Alpine streams have made roads impassable, and residents have had to bail out their basements overnight. Salzburg is one place to have been affected, with the rain swollen Salzach River reaching a depth of 5.5 metres, the level at which flood warnings are issued. As a precautionary measure officials have prepared sandbags in case the river's banks need to be reinforced. In August 2002 devastating floods killed 100 people in Austria and neighbouring Germany and Czech Republic.

Germany has also been experiencing heavy downpours recently. On Thursday 49mm (two inches) of wet weather came down in just 18 hours in Freiberg in the north of the country. This is half as much as you would expect for the whole of June. But things are looking much more settled here and in Austria by Monday.

However, similar things have been happening in Italy. Thunderstorms rumbled through on Thursday, where half a months worth of rain fell in 18 hours (24mm, one inch). This amount was recorded in the Northern city of Arezzo. Don't despair if you're off to this area in the next few days because the outlook is much drier and brighter, at least after the weekend.

The same set of thunderstorms made their way through Albania on Thursday. 92mm (nearly four inches) of rain fell in Tirana, the capital city, in 30 hours. This is well in excess of the monthly average which is 67mm.

Let's head round to the other side of the world then, and make our way to Fiji where again the weather story of the moment is rain. Back in April heavy rain caused flooding, loss of lives and major damage on the main island of Viti Levu. Some people are still homeless here, and there is now more heavy rain. Rescuers have had to evacuate people from the town of Korovou in the east of the island as the heavy rain continues and the rivers and streams rise rapidly. Officials expecting further rain over the next few days are preparing for the worse.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

05/06/2004

By Sarah Wilmshuurst

Storms and heat

There has been more stormy weather across southeastern parts of the USA recently. On Tuesday and Wednesday severe storms rumbled through Texas, leaving half a million people without electricity. Winds of more than 80mph felled trees and downed power lines. There was also profuse lightning and heavy rain, along with huge hail which damaged buildings. All in all the damages is estimated to have cost $100 million. Oklahoma and Louisiana were also affected by the storms and power outages, and at the time of writing thousands of people across these three states were still without power.

Thunderstorms have also been affecting many parts of Italy recently, with 113mm (nearly five inches) of rain falling in Bari in 18 hours on Friday. This is twice as much as you would expect in the whole of June. Pescara has also caught more than its fair share of rain, with more than half a month's worth in a day and half. It is slowly settling down here and next week is looking fine and dry.

Meanwhile in the western Pacific weather forecasters are keeping a close eye on the development of tropical depression '07W'. It is currently west of Manila in the Philippines. At the beginning of next week, this storm is expected to move across northern parts of the Philippines bringing heavy rain and high winds.

The main island of Fiji, Viti Levu, is still on flood alert as further rain falls and more is expected today and tomorrow. The floodwater in Korovou has receded but the district has been left without electricity or clean water. Roads are still closed after landslides and flooded rivers.

Moving from stormy weather to the heat of Pakistan and it has been unbearably hot here recently. In Jacobabad for example the temperature on Friday reached 50C (122F). The average here is a hot 46C (115F). The temperature in Nawabshah reached 49C (120F) resulting in one death and 20 cases of heat stroke - there were also intermittent power failures here on Friday. The heat in this area is expected to continue.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

06/06/2004

By Sarah Wilmshurst

Southeast Asia's storms

Although it is hot all year, Thailand and Vietnam have two seasons - a dry hot one and a wet hot one! The dry season is characterised by northeasterly winds, the wet one by the southwest monsoon winds. Generally speaking the months of May to October are the wet ones, and this month is certainly living up to its reputation in Bangkok!

In just 18 hours on Saturday 102mm (four inches) of rain fell. The average rainfall for this month is 152mm, and this usually falls over ten days, so they've had much more than they would expect, and there is more to come! Vietnam has also been wet. In Lang Son 111mm (four and a half inches) of rain fell in 12 hours on Saturday - nearly the whole month's supply in just that half day!

Not too far away from Thailand and Vietnam we continue to watch the development of tropical storm '07W'. The centre of this storm is currently west of Manila, but the area of cloud and rain is very large so there is some wet weather across the Northern Philippines. Although the centre of the storm and the strongest winds will skim up the western side of the Philippines there will be heavy rain and a spell of windy weather in the next 24 hours. As '07W' moves north it is expected to reach Taiwan in the middle of the week.

Meanwhile a bit closer to home and there has been yet more heavy thundery rain across southeast Italy. On Saturday in Monte Sant'Angelo 38mm (about an inch and a half) of rain fell in six hours - this is nearly the whole month's supply. This week is looking much more settled with a good deal of dry weather on the way.

Related Links: asia pacific satellite

Hurricanes, Typhoons & Tropical Cyclones Worldwide

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

07/06/2004

By John Hammond

Drought worries rise across the globe

Dry weather can come as a blessing, but you can have too much of a good thing. Drought is causing increasing concern in more than one part of the globe.

In the United States Rockies, there is high risk of wildfire this summer. Due to long-term drought the entire Rocky Mountain region of Colorado and Wyoming is potentially at risk from a particularly bad fire season.

So what is the culprit for the dry conditions? Below-average winter snowfall and a rapid melt-off. As of Friday Colorado's snowpack was only 17% of the 30-year average and 61% of last year.

Adding to the problem is the spread of insects and disease. Ips beetle, Spruce beetle, Douglas fir beetle and Mountain Pine beetle infestations are spreading in Colorado. The beetles kill trees, whose needles then fall off, thus becoming a fuel hazard.

Durango airport has not received any measurable precipitation since April 29th

The outlook is grim and not only includes the most densely populated areas, it also covers the most popular tourist regions. Extended weather forecasts do not hold out much hope for the level of rain that would be needed to ease drought conditions.

Meanwhile down in parts of Australia, farmers have been enduring their worst drought in a century. 80% of New South Wales is now affected. Although rains in late-May and early-June have given many farmers some welcome relief, many farmers are now staring down the barrel of a third winter in drought unless a miracle happens in the next couple of months.

The problem is long-term. Indeed the southeastern part of Australia has received below-normal rainfall for about eight years.

The implications extend beyond the shores of the Antipodes. Australia is the second largest wheat and canola exporter in the world, and is the world's largest barley exporter, excluding the EU.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[Yorkshire_lad]

keep up the good work highcliffe mate nice to see some 1 takes the time and effort to report whats happening round the world

[highcliffe2]

Cheers Mark, your compliments are appreciated

08/06/2004

By Elizabeth Saary

Clear weather is good news for astronomers

The weather forecast has been of particular interest to astronomers in the past few days. Across the globe, people have been eagerly awaiting the rare event of the 'Transit of Venus' - when the planet Venus passes directly between the Earth and the Sun.

Weather-permitting, the whole event has been visible from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, with Australia, Asia and the Americas seeing part of it. Here in the UK, many observatories were giving the public the chance to view this twice-in-a-lifetime event using specialist equipment.

Needless to say, the Greenwich observatory in London was fairly busy, and luckily the southeast of England had some of the best weather conditions for observing the event.

Many parts of Europe are under the influence of high pressure at the moment, which means that many people will have been able to have a good look at the spectacle. There were, as always, a few exceptions.

Astronomers in southern Scandinavia may well have been disappointed. An area of low pressure has been bringing much cloud and some rain to the area. In Oslo, Norway, 27mm of rain fell in the 24 hours up to 0600GMT on Tuesday. This is a fair proportion of their monthly average rainfall of 75mm. There were signs that some breaks in the cloud were beginning to develop during the morning which would hopefully give people a chance to get a glimpse.

It was a similarly drab and wet start to the day in Stockholm, Sweden. Here, 32mm of rain had fallen in 24 hours, which is nearly the whole of the monthly average rainfall of 44mm.

So it was Scandinavia that really drew the short straw on Tuesday morning. For most of the rest of Europe, it was a gloriously sunny start to the day. Like the UK, many parts have been experiencing a heatwave. On Monday, the temperature in Biarritz, France rose to 32C (90F). The June average for Biarritz is just 22C. San Sebastian in Spain experienced some even hotter weather with a temperature of 33C compared to the average of 21C.

When London reached 29C on Monday, it beat many of the Mediterranean islands. Ibiza saw just 24C, and Cyprus 26C. After Tuesday's heat, a cooling trend is predicted for the UK.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[Yorkshire_lad]

np highcliffe mate you do a sterling job and you are well appreciated on my part mate keep up the good work mate