GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

JULY 2011


AFRICA

A crippling drought gripped much of the Horn of Africa in July.
Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, and Djibouti were majorly impacted.
Two consecutive seasons of poor rainfall-the short dry rains from
October to December and the long gu rains that were supposed to begin
in early April but were late and scattered- resulted in one of the
driest years since 1950/51, according to the UN's Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The lack of deyr rains was attributed to the La Nina climate
phenomenon, which took place from July 2010 through April 2011.
Somalia bore the combination of drought, two decades of civil unrest,
and rising food prices, according to aid agency reports. On July 19th,
the United Nations officially declared a famine in the southern Bakool
and Lower Shabelle regions of Somalia, the first time famine has been
declared in this country since 1992. Overall, it was estimated that 10
to 11 million people in East Africa were in need of food from the
drought, including 3.7 million in Somalia. In total, the areas
considered to be in a state of emergency and classified as "critical"
be the U.N. OCHA included the coastal region of Somalia northeast of
Mogadishu, far eastern and southern corners of Ethiopia, and Kenya's
northeast frontier. The central drought area lies in a nomadic region
where people rely heavily on their livestock. This year, in some
regions of Somalia, more than 80 percent of the livestock was
destroyed, including many camels who are normally considered to be
drought resistant.

Unusually heavy snow also fell in South Africa. Up to two feet (60 cm)
of snow fell across large parts of eastern South Africa on July
25th-26th; the area typically receives a dusting of snow once or twice
each year. High winds accompanied the frozen precipitation. Major
transport routes, including highways and shipping, were disrupted
during the storm.

UNITED STATES

Much of July was defined by excessive heat across the eastern two-
thirds of the United States. Millions of Americans were affected by
the temperatures, which, when combined with relative humidity,
produced heat indexes of 110F (43C) or higher across a wide swath of
the nation, according to the National Weather Service NWS). Heat index
values surpassed 120F (49C) at eight NWS stations on the 19th,
including 129F (54C) at Newton, Iowa. Interstates and highways in
several states buckled from the heat and thousands of farm animals
housed indoors succumbed to the hot weather. For the month, 78 all-
time high maximum temperature records were broken along with 209 all-
time high minimum temperature /extremes/records/ records. The
minimum temperature records are particularly noteworthy because the
higher nighttime temperatures give people less reprieve from the
extreme daytime heat. On July 12th, Richmond, Virginia recorded its
all-time high minimum temperature of 81F (27C). The heat wave brought
at least 100F (38C) temperatures to Raleigh, North Carolina every day
from July 20th to the 24th, breaking a new record for the most
consecutive days the area has recorded triple digit temperatures.
Newark, New Jersey sweated through its all-time highest temperature of
108°F (42C) on the 22nd. At least 64 human fatalities were
blamed on the heat, with countless more heat-related illnesses
reported.
Well over 140 million people were under heat advisories at some point
during the month.

Excessive heat #temps was not the only extreme event to occur in the
Midwestern United States during July. On the 27th, 7.47 inches (190
mm) of rain fell over Dubuque, Iowa, shattering the previous daily
record of 3.10 inches (79 mm) set in 1896, according to preliminary
reports from the National Weather Service. That rainfall contributed
to the all-time wettest month for the city-16.01 inches (407 mm)-
breaking the old record of 15.46 inches (393 mm) set in September
1965. Chicago, Illinois reported its wettest July on record, at 11.15
inches (283 mm), breaking the old record of 9.56 inches (243 mm) set
more than 120 years ago in 1889. Much of the heavy rain was
accompanied by thunderstorms. Tens of thousands of residents lost
power in Chicago and Detroit due to hard-hitting storms.

A massive dust storm-also known as a haboob in Arabic-roared across
Phoenix, Arizona and nearby cities of Tempe, Avondale, and Scottsdale
on
July 5th. According to the National Weather Service, the huge wall of
dust was estimated from radar data to have reached heights up to
5,000-6,000 feet (1,500-1800 meters) and width of 50 miles (80 km) in
some areas. The storm brought near-zero visibility and led to flight
delays and power outages for around 10,000 residents as winds gusted
at more than 50 mph (80 km/hr). The dust cloud originated from an
afternoon storm near Tuscon and moved to the north across the Sonoran
desert. The storm traveled at least 150 miles (240 km), with the dust
fueled by ongoing dry conditions. A second, smaller dust storm hit the
Phoenix area again on July 18th. A thick wall of dust extended upwards
roughly 3,000 feet (900 meters), bringing 25 to 35 mph (40 to 55 km/
hr) winds and low visibility conditions, and leading to flight delays
at Phoenix International Airport. Dust storms during the North
American are fairly common, with an average of one to three storms
reported each year across the Phoenix area.

ASIA

Monsoon rains brought floods and landslides to various parts of China
during July. At the beginning of the month, flooding in two coal mines
in southern China one Guangxi province and the other in neighboring
Guizhou Province-trapped more than 40 miners. Rescue efforts were
hampered by rising waters and the search for the miners in Guizhou was
called off on July 17th. Xinhua News Agency reported that 18 people
were killed by a rain-triggered landslide in the northwestern province
of Shaanxi on July 5th. The local government said that nearly 7,000
homes were either damaged or destroyed and almost 15,000 acres (6,000
hectares) of cropland were submerged. Direct economic losses from that
event were estimated at $25 million U.S. dollars. According to China
Daily, the National Commission for Disaster Reduction reported that
1.57 million residents in the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi,
Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Yunnan and the autonomous region of Tibet
were affected by heavy rains and storms during the second week in
July. Six people were killed and damages were estimated at more than
$54 million U.S. dollars.

In nearby Nepal and northeastern India, almost 80 people perished and
200,000 had to be evacuated due to heavy rains and subsequent
landslides since the monsoon season began in June. In Bangladesh, five
days of heavy monsoon rains led to flooding along the Matamuhuri and
Bakhkhali rivers that killed six people and displaced more than 10,000
on July 22^nd . Flooding and landslides are common during the South
Asian monsoon, which lasts from June to September.

In South Korea, 12 people were killed and four others were missing due
to monsoon rain-induced landslides from July 8th to 10th in the
provinces of South Jeolla, North Jeolla, and South Gyeongsang. More
than 15.7 inches (400 mm) of precipitation reportedly fell over South
Jeolla province. The rains flooded more than 180 homes and over 300
people were evacuated. On July 27th, the heaviest single-day rainfall
since 1907 occurred in the capital city of Seoul, bringing more than
11.8 inches (300 mm) of precipitation. The diluge triggered flash
floods and landslides that killed at least 67 people and left 10
others missing. Additionally, the country's Defense Ministry said that
10 landmines, buried on a mountain in southern Seoul in the early
1950s during the Korean War, had not been recovered following a
mudslide in the area.

Heavy flooding in the northwest Iranian province of West Azarbaijan on
July 16th affected residents in more than 50 villages. At least three
people were killed and 40 homes were destroyed along with two bridges.
Damages ere estimated to exceed $18.8 million U.S. dollars.

SOUTH AMERICA

Days of heavy rainfall in northeastern Brazil on July 15th-19th led to
flooding and mudslides across the region. According to the Global
Disaster Alert and Coordination System, nine people were killed in the
state of Pernambuco with two others missing, and one person perished
in Paraiba. More than 340 families lost their homes. Sixteen dams
burst in the town of Lagoa Seca, where 10 inches (250 mm) of rain fellâ
€”an amount roughly equal to the July monthly average rainfall,
according to the local government.

RUSSIA

A rare tornado struck the far eastern Russian city of Blagoveshchensk
on July 31st. The twister lasted 13 minutes in duration, killing one
person, injuring dozens more, and leaving an estimated $2.9 million
U.S. dollars (80 million rubles) in damages. According to a Russian
meteorologist, this was the first tornado on record to hit a major
Russian city;
Blagoveshchensk has a population of around 220,000.

TROPICAL CYCLONES

The sixth named storm and second typhoon of the 2011 Pacific typhoon
season developed east of the Marianas on July 11th. Ma-on quickly
gained strength and became a powerful Category 4 super typhoon on the
15th, with wind speeds of 132 mph (212 km/hr) as it moved
northeastward toward the southern coast of Japan, according to NASA.
The storm weakened significantly as it moved toward land and had been
downgraded to a Category 1 typhoon when it briefly made landfall over
southern Tokushima Prefecture on the 19th. Due to its slow-moving
nature, copious rainfall poured over the region. Precipitation
totaling 33.5 inches (851.1 mm) was measured over the village of Umaji
in Kochi Prefecture the same day Ma-on made landfall-a single-day
Japanese record. Total rainfall from the typhoon exceeded 39 inches
(1,000 mm) on the Pacific side of Japan in some locations. One person
died and at least 60 people were injured due to the torrential rain
and strong winds. More than 120 flights were cancelled and local train
services were disrupted.

Two back-to-back tropical storms left their marks in parts of East
Asia near the end of July. Tropical Storm Nock-Ten made landfall over
the eastern mountain areas of Luzon, the Philippines' main island, on
July 27th, leaving at least 66 people dead and 17 more missing due to
flooding and landslides. More than 645,000 residents were affected by
the storm and damages were estimated to be about $24 million U.S.
dollars. The storm moved across the South China Sea and was also
responsible for two deaths in the southern Chinese province of Hainan
on July 29th and three deaths as it hit Vietnam on the 30th. Nock-Ten
was followed by Typhoon Muifa, which did not make landfall over the
Philippines, but heavy rains from the storm led to four deaths in the
country on July 31^st . Nock-Ten and Muifa were the 10th and 11th
storms to affect the Philippines to date in 2011. The country
typically experiences an average of 20 named storms per year.

SEVERE WINTER WEATHER

On July 7th, a cold front brought the heaviest snowfall in nearly two
decades to what is considered one of the driest places on Earth. Up to
32 inches (80 cm) of snow fell in parts of the Atacama Desert in
northern Chile, according to the Chilean Directorate of Meteorology.
Local roads were closed and dozens of people were rescued from their
stranded vehicles. The average high and low temperature for San Pedro
de
Atacama during winter, July, August) is 72F (22C) and 39F (4°C),
respectively. Prior to the snowfall, the temperature dropped to 18F
(-8C) in the capital city of Santiago on the 6th. Annually, the desert
averages only 2.0 inches (50 mm) of precipitation. Some places in the
desert have no recorded rainfall. According to a NASA study, the
dryness is due to a persistent climate pattern formed by the presence
of the strong high pressure center in the atmosphere over coastal
Chile and a constant temperature inversion-when temperatures increase
with height in the atmosphere-due to the cool Humboldt ocean current.

The winter weather continued in Chile. According to The Pategonia
Times,
up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) of snow fell in the city of Longquimay in
the country's east central region during July 17^th –20^th . The
Chilean president said that this was the worst polar front to affect
the region in 30 years. An estimated 6,500 residents living in mainly
rural areas were isolated due to the storm.