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The dry conditions were conducive to the proliferation of wildfires, with several large fires affecting the southwestern United States and Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada. Unusually warm weather across interior Alaska promoted wildfires which charred more than 20,000 hectares (49,600 acres). High temperatures in McGrath reached 27°C (80°F) or higher on 4 days during the month of May.
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A severe heat wave which affected much of central and southeastern India during May 9-15 resulted in over 1,000 deaths as daily high temperatures reached as high as 50°C (122°F) (Associated Press). In neighboring Pakistan, at least 29 deaths were attributed to the high heat in the central and southern parts of the country (Press Trust of India). Monthly mean temperatures across the region were 1-3°C (1.8-5.4°F) above a 1988-2001 average. |
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The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) reported at least 10 million people are threatened by famine in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland. Ongoing drought in the region was characterized in Zimbabwe as the longest dry spell in the last 20 years (FAO). |
In the Greater Horn of Africa, unseasonably dry weather, with rainfall less than 50% of normal, covered southern Ethiopia and most of Somalia as the rainy season came to an early halt. Abnormally dry weather prevailed over much of Tanzania, where monthly rainfall totaled less than 35% of normal.
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In China's Fujian province around 318,000 people and 92,000 head of livestock are suffering from drinking water shortages (CIP report). In the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, water services to residential areas were suspended for one out of every five days (The Straits Times). The Philippine Department of Agriculture reported that over 18,000 hectares (40,000 acres) of rice were lost due to drought. |
Unusually warm and dry weather promoted hundreds of forest fires that swept over more than 54,000 hectares (133,000 acres) of the Russian Far East during the first two weeks of May. The fires threatened the habitats of endangered animals such as the Amur tiger and Siberian leopard (ENS news).
Across Australia, rainfall deficiencies affected parts of every state during the period March-April 2002, with some of the most severe drought conditions observed across parts of eastern Queensland. Rainfall in Brisbane during the last three months was less than 40% of normal. |
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Thunderstorms producing torrential rain affected Nicaragua during the last week of May. The government of Nicaragua issued a state of emergency on May 30th, as flooding washed out roads and bridges and displaced around 3,000 people from their homes (Associated Press). Some of the worst flooding was around the capital city of Managua, where the airport was closed on the 28th due to extensive flooding in the city (CIP report).
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Heavy rains across the southern peninsula of Haiti during May 24-26 triggered floods which washed away bridges and roads, eroded hillsides and destroyed livestock (CIP report). The most affected areas were the departments of Grand'Anse and Sud where at least 12 people were killed (OCHA). |
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Since the April onset of the rainy season in Kenya, at least 72 people have died due to flooding, mainly in the western part of the country (AFP). Numerous rivers have flooded, displacing many from their homes. Some of the worst flooding occurred in the city of Budulangi located in Nyanza province. Mudslides in the vicinity of Mount Kenya claimed at least 15 lives (BBC). |
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Abnormally wet weather impacted northern Argentina, Uruguay and extreme southern Brazil throughout March and April 2002 and continued in May. Buenos Aires received more than double the normal March-May rainfall. |
Pakistan News Service reported that at least 14 people were killed and dozens injured when a severe thunderstorm affected the Punjab province on the night of May 27th. The storm caused power failures in the city of Multan, and damaged mango orchards and cotton crop in Lahore. Winds gusted to over 95 km/hr (~60mph) at the Lahore airport on the evening of the 27th as the storms moved through.
Rain and thunderstorms which affected Tunisia were blamed for the crash of an Egyptair jetliner
on the 7th as winds gusted to over 100 km/hr (~60 mph) near the Tunis airport. The crash was responsible for at least 26 fatalities (CIP report).
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Tropical Cyclone 01A developed in the Arabian Sea on the 6th and crossed the southern coast of Oman on the 10th with maximum sustained winds of 83 km/hr (45 knots or ~50 mph). The storm brought heavy rains and flooding to Zufar province, and the coastal city of Salalah received 57.9mm (2.28 inches) on the 10th. In Salalah, the normal rainfall for the entire month of May is just 17.1 mm (0.67 inches). |
Tropical cyclone Kesiny made landfall along the northern tip of Madagascar on May 9, with maximum sustained winds near 110 km/hr (60 knots or 68 mph). The cyclone trekked slowly south into the interior of the Malagasy Republic before dissipating. Torrential rains ravaged the northern half of the country for days after the storm moved inland and weakened, with over 40 deaths attributed to flooding (AFP). In the port city of Toamasina, the country's second largest city, May rainfall totaled 1,271 mm (50 inches). The normal monthly amount is 228 mm (9 inches). |
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Tropical Cyclone 02B developed in the Andaman Sea on the 10th and made landfall along the southern coast of Myanmar near Rangoon on the 11th with maximum sustained winds near 83 km/hr (45 knots or ~50 mph). Heavy rains occurred hundreds of miles inland across areas of northern Laos and Thailand, with flash flooding reported across mountainous areas of northern Vietnam during the 12th-14th. |
Alma developed in the open waters of the eastern Pacific on May 24 and became the first hurricane in the east Pacific basin during the 2002 hurricane season on the 28th. Although the hurricane did not impact land areas, it did reach category-2 strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale on the 30th. |
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A storm system at the beginning of May brought locally heavy rains and gusty winds to parts of France, Spain and Belgium. |
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Northern Hemisphere storm tracks during the last 30 days are available courtesy of the Climate Diagnostics Center.
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An unusually cold airmass for late spring across much of Canada promoted a significant amount of late season snow cover across interior sections that persisted throughout much of May, as the mean jet stream position remained farther south across the United States. Heavy late season snowfall affected areas as far south as Montana in the United States during the first week of the month. |
References:
Basist, A., N.C. Grody, T.C. Peterson and C.N. Williams, 1998: Using the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager to Monitor Land Surface Temperatures, Wetness, and Snow Cover. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 37, 888-911.
Peterson, Thomas C. and Russell S. Vose, 1997: An overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network temperature data base. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 78, 2837-2849.
For all climate questions other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services Division:
Climate Services Division NOAA/National Climatic Data Center 151 Patton Avenue, Room 120 Asheville, NC 28801-5001 fax: 828-271-4876 phone: 828-271-4800 email: ncdc.orders@noaa.gov
For more information, refer also to ...
SSMI Derived Products
Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)
The Global Temperature Anomalies
CLIMVIS - Global Summary of the Day
CAMS data provided by the Climate Prediction Center
Click here for geographic reference maps
For further information on the historical climate perspective presented in this report, contact:
Scott Stephens NOAA/National Climatic Data Center 151 Patton Avenue Asheville, NC 28801-5001 fax: 828-271-4328 email: Scott.Stephens@noaa.gov
-or-
Jay Lawrimore NOAA/National Climatic Data Center 151 Patton Avenue Asheville, NC 28801-5001 fax: 828-271-4328 email: jay.lawrimore@noaa.gov
Drought & Heat | Flooding | Storms | Tropical Cyclones | Extratropical Cyclones | Severe Winter Weather
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