GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

NOVEMBER 2007

UNITED STATES
West and Southeast

Severe to extreme drought conditions continued throughout much of the
Southeast region and the western U.S. Exceptional drought persisted in
Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North and South Carolina. On November 27,
58% of the western U.S., 76% of the Southeast, and 37% of the
contiguous U.S. were in moderate to exceptional drought,according to
the Federal U.S. Drought Monitor.

West

New wildfires, which began November 24, charred over 1,860 hectares
(4,600 acres) of land in southern California. More than 14,000
residents evacuated their homes and more than 50 homes were destroyed
(BBC News).

CHINA

Across China, severe to extreme drought conditions were observed
across southeastern Guizhou, northern Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, and
western
Fujian (Beijing Climate Center).

VIETNAM

Heavy rains in Vietnam, which began on October 26 and continued until
in mid-November, caused widespread flooding that killed as many as 67
people (Associated Press). The floods destroyed more than 15,000 homes
and vast area of rice fields and other crops (BBC News).

MEXICO

Torrential rain, which started on October 28, causing devastating
floods in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. The heavy rain triggered
widespread floods, prompted deadly landslides, and caused rivers to
flow over their banks, leading to the worst flooding in more than 5
decades (Reuters). Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, referred to
this event as one of the worst natural disasters in Mexico's history
(Reuters).

INDONESIA

In Papua New Guinea, heavy downpours associated with tropical cyclone
Guba caused widespread flooding in the province of Oro, forcing
officials to declare a state of emergency. About 500 homes were washed
away, 75 people lost their lives and many others were missing.
According to reports, floodwaters rose up to 3 meters (11 feet) in
some areas, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. About 70,000
people were affected (BBC News).

MEDITTERANEAN

In Greece, strong storms produced flooding that inundated roads,
houses,
and agricultural land, forcing dozens of residents to evacuate the
area
(BBC News).
AFRICA

In Malawi, heavy rain fell during November 18-26, causing flash
floods that displaced more than 2,000 people. According to reports,
about 20 villages were destroyed (Reuters).

On November 21-25, heavy rain fell across the southern Cape of South
Africa, prompting flash floods. Thousands of residents were forced to
leave their homes and two people lost their lives while doing so (BBC
News).

Heavy rain fell during November 24-28, triggering flash floods and
landslides in Algeria. According to reports, there were 29 landslides
reported and dozens of homes destroyed due to the heavy downpours.
Eleven people lost their lives, with many others missing (BBC News).

EUROPE

An early winter season has prompted many ski resorts to open early
this year. Since the week of November 11, snow fell continuously
across parts of Europe.
According to reports, Austria experienced its earliest arrival of
severe winter
weather in decades with up to 508 mm (20 inches) of snow falling in
Vienna on the 15th. Meanwhile, Switzerland had 635-711 mm (25-28
inches)
of snow fall, with Zurich having its heaviest snow fall since 1955.
This
is the first time in over 5 decades Switzerland has seen such a strong
start to its winter ski season (BBC News).

TROPICAL

Typhoon Peipah developed in the western Pacific Ocean, east of the
Philippines, on the 3rd and later that day strengthened to a tropical
storm. Peipah made landfall in the northern part of the Philippine
Island of Luzon as a Category 1
typhoon on the 6th with maximum sustained winds near 120 km/hr (75 mph
or 65 knots) (BBC News). The storm left six people dead while hundreds
were rendered homeless (BBC News).

Tropical cyclone Sidr developed in the Bay of Bengal on the 9th and
intensified to a very severe cyclonic storm, equivalent to a category
4 in the Saffir-Simpson scale, on November 14. Sidr struck Bangladesh
on the 15th with maximum sustained winds near 240 km/hr (150 mph or
130 knots), producing heavy rains and high tidal surges that caused
widespread flooding (BBC News/Reuters). About 650,000 people were
affected and more than 2,400 were killed (Associated Press).
Most of the deaths were attributed to falling trees that flattened
many
homes made of bamboo and tin (AFP). According to reports, Cyclone Sidr
is described as the worst storm to strike Bangladesh since 1991
(Reuters/AFP).

Typhoon Hagibis and Mitag developed in the western Pacific Ocean on
the 18th and 20th, respectively. Hagibis crossed the Philippines, as a
depression but soon after strengthened to a tropical storm. The storm
brought heavy rain in the central and southern Philippines triggering
floods and landslides. Hagibis, lying over the South China Sea and
moving towards Vietnam, intensified to a
typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 157 km/hr (98 mph or 85
knots).
Although Hagibis did not make landfall in Vietnam, heavy rain
associated
with the storm fell over south-central Vietnam, prompting the
disruption
of coffee and oil production (Reuters). Hagibis made a U-turn and
headed
towards the Philippines once again. According to reports, this is the
first time in 10 years a storm has done a U-turn in the country (BBC
News). Hagibis downgraded to a depression on the 26th. Meanwhile,
Mitag
strengthened to a typhoon on the 21st and made landfall in the
northern
Philippines on the 25th with maximum sustained winds of 157 km/hr (98
mph or 85 knots). The storm was responsible for 8 fatalities and
brought
heavy rains which flooded at least 50 villages.

Extratropical Cyclones
Hurricane Noel, which developed in October, reached Category 1
hurricane strength on November 1, but by the 2nd transitioned to a
strong extratropical storm. On November 4, Noel struck the Canadian
Maritimes with maximum sustained winds near 135 km/hr (84 mph or 73
knots). The storm produced heavy rain and left about 100,000 people
without power (Canadian press/BBC News)