Global Analysis / Global Hazards / United States / U.S.
Drought / Extremes
Use these links to access detailed analyses of Global and U.S. data.
Drought & Heat | Flooding | Storms | Tropical Cyclones | Extratropical Cyclones | Severe Winter Weather
| While severe to extreme
drought conditions persisted throughout much of the U.S. northern
Rockies, heavy amounts of rain and snow since March provided
significant relief throughout parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. |
Larger Image
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Africa Precipitation Anomalies
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Long-term drought
continued over pastoral areas of the Greater Horn of Africa, however,
recent beneficial rains eased dryness and improved pasture conditions.
Farther south, severe drought continued throughout southern Malawi,
much of Mozambique, as well as Tanzania and parts of Zimbabwe. For the
latest African analysis and forecast, see the Famine Early Warning System Network.
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| In India, dozens were
feared dead in the eastern state of Orissa due to a heatwave that
affected much of the country. Maximum temperatures on May 17 reached as
high as 50°C (122°F) in some sections of the country (Reuters). Extremely hot
weather is common in India during late spring preceding the
climatological onset of the monsoon season in June. |
India Heatwave
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Australia Temperature Anomalies
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Across Australia, exceptionally warm and dry weather prevailed during March-May 2005. The Australian mean temperature during March-May was 1.62°C (2.92°F) above the long-term average, which is the warmest on record. The previous record anomaly for the austral fall was +1.10°C (1.98°F) set in 1958 (Australian Bureau of Meteorology). |
| According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, most of Australia had below-normal rainfall in May. No rain fell over large areas (many of them seasonally dry), including most of the Northern Territory (except the north-east corner), the north-east of Western Australia, and northern South Australia. It was a particularly dry month in much of the southeast, with totals in the lowest 10% of recorded years occurring in northern Tasmania, almost all of Victoria and most of the agricultural areas of South Australia. Records were set locally in central New South Wales and coastal South Australia, particularly on Kangaroo Island and the Yorke Peninsula. It was the second-driest May on record in Victoria and South Australia. See the Bureau's drought statement for more information on drought across Australia. (An Australia reference map is available.) |
Australia Rainfall Anomalies
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Kenya Rainfall Anomalies
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Heavy rains caused in flooding in parts of Kenya during the opening
days of May. At least 4 people drowned and 25,000 refugees were
displaced in northeastern Kenya. In western Kenya, heavy rains caused
the Nyando River to rise above the flood stage, affecting several
hundred families (AFP). |
Across southeastern Ethiopia, thunderstorm rains caused flooding in the town of Dire Dawa, located about 520 km (320 miles) from the capital. There were 32 fatalities from the flooding (AFP).
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In Taiwan, torrential rain produced widespread flooding and landslides
during mid-May. At least 4 fatalities were blamed on the heavy
rainfall (AFP). Heavy rainfall also affected adjacent provinces of southeastern China westward into Hunan province. At least 200 fatalities were reported in Hunan province due to flooding in May 2005 (Reuters). |
Taiwan Rainfall Anomalies
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In Bangladesh, heavy rains produced flooding that killed 10 people in the town of Moulvi Bazar (Reuters). The Dholai, Khowai and Manu Rivers all surpassed their flood stages from heavy rainfall during May 22-26.
Across western Romania, flooding during the first two weeks of May damaged 4,400 houses and destroyed 650. The flooding, considered to be the worst in 50-years in this part of Romania, also inundated around 113,000 hectares (280,000 acres) of agricultural land (OCHA).
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Satellite Image Of Adrian
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Hurricane Adrian,
the first named tropical system of the 2005 Eastern Pacific hurricane
season, developed about 700 km (440 miles) southwest of Guatemala and
El Salvador on the 17th. Adrian reached hurricane intensity by the
19th, and made landfall along the west coast of El Salvador near San Salvador late the same night. Maximum sustained winds at the time of landfall were near 120 km/hr (65 knots or 75 mph). Heavy rainfall over mountainous areas of El Salvador and Honduras produced localized flooding, with one flooding-related death in neighboring Nicaragua (Associated Press). |
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In Chile, a heavy snowstorm in the Los Barros range of the Andes
Mountains affected a Chilean army exercise. Authorities described the snowstorm as the area's worst in three decades. A total of 45 Chilean soldiers died due to the
exposure to the cold and snow (Associated Press/BBC News). |
South America Temperature Anomalies
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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 ...
April Hazards and Significant Events
Selected U.S. City and State Extremes
2004 Atlantic Hurricanes
2005 East Pacific Hurricanes
2004 U.S. Wildfire Summary
SSMI Derived Products
Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)
The Blended GHCN - SSM/I Product
The Global Temperature Anomalies
CLIMVIS - Global Summary of the Day
CAMS data provided by the Climate Prediction Center
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) - NASA
Geographic Reference Maps (pdf format)
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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
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