GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

JUNE 2006

UNITED STATES
Southwest and southern Plains

Significant drought extended from the Desert Southwest eastward through
the Southern Plains. Exceptional drought classification persisted
across Deep South Texas as well as southern Arizona. In the wake of
Hurricane Katrina across southern Louisiana, the eight months since
October 1, 2005 have been the driest in 111 years of record-keeping
(Associated Press).

Southern Plains

Persistent heavy rainfall deposited up to 280 mm (11 inches) of rain in
the greater Houston, Texas area on the 19th. Widespread flash flooding
was the result in south and east sections of the city. The Houston Fire
Department rescued more than 500 people from flood waters with no
serious injuries or fatalities reported (Reuters).

mid-Atlantic and Northeast

Exceptionally heavy rainfall occurred during June 22-28. Rain amounts
exceeded 254 mm (10 inches) in some areas, with numerous daily and
monthly rainfall records set. Flooding was widespread throughout the
greater Washington, DC area, northward through parts of Pennsylvania
and New York. As the Susquehanna River rose above flood stage, up to
200,000 people in the Wilkes-Barre, PA area were forced to evacuate.
There were 10 deaths blamed on the flooding (CNN).

AFRICA
Great Horn

Wet-season rainfall alleviated dryness in parts of the Greater Horn of
Africa during May and June 2006. Despite the welcome rainfall,
long-term drought persisted in central and eastern Kenya as well as
eastern Ethiopia and central Somalia.

ASIA
China

In southern China, rainfall rates on the order of 99 mm (3.5 inches) in
two hours forced the Bashili River out of its banks, flooding 11
villages in Fujian province. In the southwestern province of Sichuan, a
landslide prompted by heavy rainfall killed 11 people on the 19th in
Shiji Village (Xinhua). On the 25th, flash flooding in the Hunan
province of southern China killed 11 people (Associated Press). The
Chinese government characterized the summer flooding as the worst in 30
years in parts of the country (Associated Press).

INDIA

Monsoon rainfall produced flooding and landslides in the northeastern
states of Assam and Tripura. There were 8 reported deaths and 75,000
people displaced from their homes by the second week of June.
Nationwide, an early onset of the monsoon season (late May 2006)
resulted in 215 reported fatalities due to flooding (AFP).

INDONESIA

In Indonesia, torrential rainfall produced flooding on eastern Sulawesi
Island in the South Sulawesi province on the 19th-20th. In the
hardest-hit district of Sinjai, at least two roads were blocked by
landslides, and water and mud reached 2.1 meters (7 feet) high. There
were at least 216 reported fatalities (Associated Press/Reuters/IFRC).

EUROPE

In northern Romania, heavy rainfall caused a deadly mudslide on the
21st that killed at least 9 people in the Bistriat Nasaud area (AFP).

Severe thunderstorms in Germany on the 29th produced large hail the
size of tennis balls in Villingen-Schwenningen. About 100 people were
injured, mostly from cuts to the head. One man drowned due to flooding
near Offenburg (BBC News).

Tropical

Tropical Storm Alberto developed as a depression in the northwestern
Caribbean Sea on the 10th. The cyclone reached tropical storm strength
the next day as it moved into the Gulf of Mexico. Alberto made landfall
in Apalachee Bay along the Florida panhandle around midday on the 15th
with maximum sustained winds near 85 km/hr (40 knots or 50 mph). The
primary impacts from Alberto were heavy rainfall and flooding, with
areas of western Cuba receiving as much as 305 mm (12 inches) of rain
during the 10th-11th. Alberto weakened into a depression as it trekked
inland through coastal sections of Georgia and the Carolinas,
depositing a swath of 75-130 mm (3-5 inch) rainfall amounts along its
course. River flooding resulted in affected areas of the Carolinas.

Tropical Storm Jelawat formed in the South China Sea on the 26th and
made landfall in southeast China's Guangdong province on the 29th near
Zhanjiang. Jelawat weakened below tropical storm intensity before
landfall, with maximum sustained winds near 55 km/hr (30 knots or 35
mph). The primary impact from this system was heavy rainfall in areas
of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces.