GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

DECEMBER 2010

AFRICA

The beginning of December, Somalia's central region of Mudug was
entrenched in a severe drought. According to a local elder, there were
very little Gu rains (long rains from April-June) and a total failure
of the Deyr rains (October-December)in 2010. At least 5,000 families
were affected in the region about 435 miles (700 km) north of
Mogadishu. The hardest-hit areas were those bordering northeastern
Kenya and southeastern Ethiopia, including settlements in Towfiq, Eil
Dhanane, Dhinowda, and Afbarwaqo areas.

MIDDLE EAST

A forest fire (thought to be the largest in Israel's history) broke
out in the Carmel Mountains near Haifa in the northern part of the
country on December 2nd. Fueled by high winds and dry conditions, at
least 41 people were killed after a bus burst into flames and 17,000
were evacuated as the fire destroyed more than 12,300 acres (5,000
hectares) of land, including an estimated five million trees and 74
buildings. The fire was declared to be "under control" on December
5th, after 24 aircraft, including the world's largest firefighting
aircraftâ (a Boeing
747 Evergreen SuperTanker) were brought in to help battle the blaze.

BALKANS

A week of copious rainfall brought flooding to the Balkans during the
first week in December. More than 12,000 people were evacuated in
northern Albania and 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) of farmland was
destroyed. Locally, the River Drina rose to its highest level in more
than a century. Authorities were forced to open emergency dam gates
and release the water into the Shkodra lake, which, along with the
rainfall, caused the flooding. Streets in the town of Shkodra were
inundated with six and a half feet (two meters) of water. The only
ways into or out of town were by boat or helicoptor. Bosnia, Serbia,
and Montenegro declared a state of emergency the River Drina runs
along the borders of all three countries. In northern Bosnia, heavy
rains triggered a landslide in the city of Tuzla that killed three
people. In southern Croatia, the River Neretva reached its highest
level in 50 years, flooding 700 homes in the town of Metkovic.

SOUTH AMERICA

Weeks of torrential rainfall in Central America heavily impacted
Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama. The heavy rains caused flooding and
landslides that killed at least 34 people in Venezuela and caused more
than 100,000 to flee their homes. The country's Caribbean coast was
particularly hard hit. In Colombia, a landslide on December 5^th
killed at least 47 people and left an estimated 80 others missing in
the city of Medellin in Antioquia province. The landslide was a
product of Colombia's heaviest rains since record keeping began in
1969. Heavy rainfall and flooding in Panama killed 10 people and
damaged over 2,500 homes. The downpours forced the Panama Canal to
close on December 8th and 9th, the first time the canal closed due to
weather conditions since its opening in 1914. The rainy season was
particularly severe this year. The extreme conditions were attributed
to the La Nina.

UNITED STATES

The "Pineapple Express" meteorological event where southwest winds
bring warm, moist air to the U.S. West Coast produced record rainfall
to the Pacific Northwest during December 11thh-12th. Seattle
experienced record rainfall two days in a row. The Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport recorded 1.42 inches (36 mm) of rain on the
11th, breaking the old daily record of 1.32 inches (34 mm) set in
1955. The next day, 2.19 inches (56 mm) fell, breaking the daily
record of 1.70 inches (43 mm) set in 1966. The Stillaguamish River in
western Washington state reached 21.06 feet (6.42 meters) at
Arlington, tying the record set in November 2006. Flood stage for the
river is 14 feet (4.3 meters). The storm system also brought record
warmth to the area. On December 14th, the temperature at Seattle-
Tacoma International Airport reached 57F (13.9C), breaking the old
daily record of 5F (12.8C) set in 2004.

More storms “courtesy of the Pineapple Express” inundated California
with rain, snow, and high winds on December 17th-22nd. Los Angeles
International Airport (among several other locations) broke its daily
precipitation record on both the 19th (2.23 inches [57 mm], surpassing
the old record of 1.62 inches [41 mm] set in 1984) and the 20th (0.98
inches [25 mm], surpassing the previous record of 0.7 inches [18 mm]
set in 1952). In addition to breaking its daily precipitation record
of 2.80 inches (71 mm) on the 19^th , besting the old record of 2.12
inches (54mm) set in 1921, downtown Los Angeles recorded a total of
6.72 inches
(171 mm) of rain during from the 17th through 4:45 AM PST on the 22nd,
equivalent to more than one-third of its annual average precipitation.
More than 21 inches (530 mm) of rain was reported at Tanbark in Los
Angeles County and many surrounding areas had more than 12 inches (300
mm) of rain. As of December 20th, up to 13.5 feet (4 meters) of snow
was reported at Mammoth Mountain ski resort, becoming the snowiest
December on record at the resort since 1969. Nearly 21,000 customers
lost power in Southern California on the 20th. As of this report
update, more immediate rainfall was expected in the region.

A strong storm system tore across the northeastern U.S. at the
beginning of December. The storm, which spawned 11 tornadoes in the
southeastern U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina on
November 30th, according to preliminary data from NOAA's Storm
Prediction Center, barreled toward the Northeast. On December 1st,
wind gusts as high as 70 mph (113 km/hr) toppled trees and caused tens
of thousands of customers to lose power in the mid-Atlantic region,
New York, Vermont, and
Connecticut. At least three people were killed.

A winter storm swept across parts of the Southeast U.S. on December
15th, bringing a mixed bag of snow, sleet, and freezing rain, making
for treacherous travel conditions. At least eight people were killed
in Alabama, Mississippi, and North Carolina in weather-related traffic
fatalities. Schools were forced to close and thousands of residents
lost power in North Carolina and Virginia. The winter storm also
impacted Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Deleware,
Maryland, and Washington D.C.

A large snow storm and frigid temperatures affected much of the
Midwest United States on December 10th-13th. The storm brought 17.1
inches (43.1 cm) of snow to the Minneapolis/St. Paul region on the
10th-11th. According to the Minnesota State Climatology Office, this
was the largest December snow storm for the area on record, the
largest since 1991, and the fifth largest since records began in 1891.
The snow proved to be too much for the Minneapolis Metrodome's
inflatable roof; it collapsed under the heavy weight of the frozen
precipitation on the 12th. Eau Claire, Wisconsin received 22.0 inches
(55.9 cm) of snow on the 11th, its highest single calendar day
snowfall total in history. In the U.S., the storm also wreaked havoc
across Indiana and Michigan. At least 16 people were killed in weather-
related accidents. The storm moved east into southern
Ontario, Canada, where two days of blizzard conditions stranded
hundreds of vehicles on highways and secondary roads. One of the
motorists reportedly died of hypothermia.

AUSTRAILIA

After weeks of heavy rainfall, Australia's attorney general declared
45 communities in eastern Australia disaster areas on December 9th.
Four people were killed and thousands were forced to evacuate their
homes as rivers overflowed their banks and caused major flooding. The
worst weather, however, was reported to be in South Australia, where
Adelaide had its wettest December day on record on the 7th. Almost two
weeks later, on the 20th , 9.65 inches (245 mm) of rain fell over
Carnarvon, a town located about 560 miles (900 km) north of Perth in
Western Australia. Local media reported that the area experienced its
worst flooding in 50 years. The Gascoyne River reached its highest
levels ever recorded, breaking the previous record set in 1960.

MEDITERREAN

A powerful cyclone brought torrential rains and strong winds to the
eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East on December 11th-12th. At
least five people were killed, shipping was disrupted in the Suez
Canal, and a Moldovan cargo ship sank off the coast of Israel.
Fortunately, the vessel's crew were rescued by a nearby Taiwanese
ship. Waves up to 33 feet (10 meters) high were reported along the
coast in Lebanon. In Israel, the winds knocked out power to hundreds
of people and downed trees. Major highways in Jordan were closed as 55
mph (90 km/hr) winds kicked up sand, severly limiting visibility. On a
positive note, the storm ended a lengthy drought in Lebanon, Syria,
and Israel.


EUROPE

Cold Arctic air gripped western Europe during most of the first three
weeks of December. Two major snowstorms, icy conditions, and frigid
temperatures wreaked havoc across much of the region. Over the course
of the period, airports in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands,
Belgium, and Switzerland were forced to cancel or delay thousands of
flights, stranding tens of thousands of passengers. Further, railways
and bus services were disrupted, stranding thousands more, and
thousands of schools were closed. The first storm that occurred at the
beginning of the month was reported to be Britain's heaviest and most
widespread snow since 1993. Denmark mobilized its army to assist
emergency vehicles in the southeastern portion of the country. On the
3rd, severe frost left
150,000 people without heat in the southern Polish city of
Czestochowa.
Paris (a city that typically sees rain) received 4 inches (10 cm) of
snow on December 8th. Bus services were halted and the Eiffel Tower
was closed for a day. That same day, Scotland saw its heaviest
snowfall since 1963 and subsequently called on its army to help clear
snow and ice. Thirty inches (75 cm) of snow fell in parts of the
capital city of Edinburgh. Another round of heavy snow fell across
Europe on the 1th-18th, forcing thousands more flight cancellations.
According to its website, Heathrow Airport in London (the world's
busiest international airport) was forced to close on the 18^th as
five inches of snow reportedly fell in one hour. Train and bus
cancellations and delays in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, and the
Netherlands compounded woes for holiday travelers. Italy's island of
Capri recorded its first snowfall in 25 years. Snow and icy conditions
along with cold temperatures continued to wreak havoc across northern
Europe on the 19th-20th as thousands more flights were cancelled, rail
services were disrupted, and schools were closed. Media reports said
that Northern Ireland was experiencing its worst weather in 25 years.
On the 18th, the temperature dropped to -18C at Castlederg, County
Tyrone, the lowest temperature ever recorded in Northern Ireland. The
previous record low was -17.5C, set on January 1st, 1979 in
Magherally. Within the past month, 114 people have died in Poland due
to
the frigid temperatures and dozens of others were killed in weather-
related accidents across Europe, according to multiple media reports.
The harsh winter weather was attributed to a negative Arctic
Oscillation, which is a climate pattern that influences weather in the
Northern Hemisphere. A very persistent, strong ridge of high pressure,
or 'blocking system', near Greenland allowed cold Arctic air to slide
south into Europe.