Special Highlight

Typhoon Chebi developed as a tropical depression in the western Pacific on the 19th and intensified to typhoon strength as it passed through the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan on the 22nd. Chebi made landfall in southern China's Fujian Province near the port town of Quanzhou on the 23rd with maximum sustained winds near 161 km/hr (100 mph). At least 79 people were killed and over 87 were missing in the Fujian province. Combined economic losses in the provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangsu exceeded $500 million.

South America

Heavy rains continued across the southern half of South America during June. In Chile, more than 10,000 farmers were displaced and hundreds of dwellings damaged due to rain and wind. In Uruguay, heavy rains brought flooding at the beginning of the month, where 5,000 people lost their homes in the northern city of Artigas. A powerful mid-latitude storm system brought strong winds gusting as high as 150 km/hr (93 mph) to the southern part of the country during the 15th-17th. The storm killed 3 people and produced millions of dollars in damage. Drought continued in northeastern Brazil, where in the state of Pernambuco a state of emergency was declared due to severe food shortages that have resulted in widespread hunger and looting. The drought has severely impacted the country’s hydroelectric generation, which provides 90% of Brazil’s power.

Infrared satellite loop from GOES-8 depicting storm systems affecting Uruguay and Argentina Time period is June 14 to June 16

Cold weather that affected much of the La Paz state of Bolivia on the 28th was responsible for 9 deaths as temperatures dipped to -5.6°C (22°F) in El Alto along with snow accumulations of 10 cm (4 inches).

North America

An upper level trough of low pressure just off the Pacific Northwest coast promoted an active jet stream which brought cooler and wetter conditions from Washington eastward into Montana. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affected parts of the Upper Midwest on the 18th as a tornado struck the town of Siren in northwestern Wisconsin. The storm (as indicated by radar) killed 3 and destroyed or heavily damaged around 100 buildings. Farther east, above average temperatures continued this month across far eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. In western Canada, drought conditions in British Columbia have resulted in historically low reservoir levels due to dry weather across the province.

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Tropical Storm Allison developed on the 5th in the northwest Gulf of Mexico and made landfall in southeast Texas later the same afternoon. Widespread flooding occurred in the Houston area with totals locally exceeding 35 inches (889 mm). The remnants of Allison emerged back into the Gulf of Mexico on the 9th and reorganized as a subtropical low pressure system before moving back inland over Louisiana on the 11th. Radar estimated precipitation across much of southeast Louisiana was 15-20 inches (381-508 mm). Heavy rains spread from the central Gulf Coast to the eastern Carolinas and into the eastern Mid-Atlantic by the 17th before Allison’s remnants merged with a cold front south of Nova Scotia on the 19th.

Europe

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A persistent trough of low pressure at upper levels resulted in cooler than average temperatures across much of Europe during June as temperature departures were -1 to -3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F) from the Netherlands eastward into the western Former Soviet Union (FSU). Warmer weather dominated much of the western Mediterranean as strong upper level ridging resulted in monthly temperatures that were 1 to 3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F) above average across Spain and Portugal.

Asia

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Dry weather across the middle Eastern countries of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan continued to perpetuate severe drought conditions. In Pakistan, temperatures soared to 122°F/50°C resulting in 8 deaths during the week of the 18th. Monthly temperatures across the Middle East were generally near average, although neighboring FSU areas of Uzbekistan, Tajkistan and Kyrgyzstan experienced above average warmth of 2 to 4°C (3.6 to 7.2°F). The strongest positive anomalies during June were observed across central and eastern Russia, where temperatures exceeded 4°C (7.2°F) above average.

Flooding which began in May from rapid snowmelt in the Siberian region of Russia continued in June. The Itar-Tass news agency reported that 7 people died as a result of flooding in the Republic of Yakutia. More than 65,000 people had been evacuated from towns and villages that had been affected. Additional heavy rains later in June across parts of Yakutia prompted the declaration of a state of emergency after the Indigirka River burst its banks in torrential rains near Ust-Nera.

The monsoon season began in earnest across Bangladesh and the northern half of India during June, with positive wetness anomalies of 3 to 5 percent across some areas. Reuters reported that nearly 100,000 people were stranded by flooding in Bangladesh during the first week of June. The neighboring Indian state of Tripura also experienced flooding rains which caused landslides and displaced many from their homes. The Press Trust of India characterized the flooding as the worst in 25 years in this part of the country.

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Much of southeast Asia and Malaysia had above average precipitation. Flooding affected several provinces in Thailand during the latter half of June with the most severe flooding occurring in the southern Ranong province around the 27th. Typhoon Chebi impacted the southeast China coast on the 23rd, along with high winds and heavy rains exceeding 100 mm (3.94 inches) along the coastal provinces. In sharp contrast, several interior provinces of China remained in severe drought, as below average precipitation combined with warmer than average temperatures. Drought continued across North and South Korea this month, despite some rainfall late in June from the remnants of Typhoon Chebi. Reuters reported that North Korea was suffering from the worst drought in its history. The 100-day dry spell was reportedly worse than the one that occurred in 1727, with approximately 72% of the country's arable land affected by the drought. During the period March-June, North Korea had reportedly received only 11% of the average rainfall.

Australia

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Temperatures were 1 to 3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F) below average across much of the western half of Australia, including parts of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. Above average warmth was restricted mainly to Queensland, where departures were 1 to 3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F).

Very wet conditions prevailed across most of South Australia during the month, with some locations reporting their highest June precipitation totals on record. Above average precipitation also alleviated dryness in the northwest part of New South Wales. A frontal system brought heavy rains around the 12th which flooded large expanses of the Australian Outback. Very little precipitation fell in southwest Queensland, where precipitation shortfalls made June the driest in the last 100 years over many areas of the southwest.

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Africa

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A pronounced upper level ridge of high pressure which persisted throughout much of June was situated across northwest Africa. This promoted much above normal temperatures across much of Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia, where monthly temperatures were 1 to 3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F) warmer than average. Daily high temperatures exceeded 38°C (100°F) across many of these areas. Temperatures were 1 to 3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F) below normal across the south African nations, as well as central Africa near an active Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Very heavy rains during the last week of the month resulted in significant flooding across coastal areas of Ghana. The most severe flooding occurred around the capital city of Accra, where 7 deaths were reported, and five thousand people were rendered homeless. Farther east across Ethiopia and Somalia, scattered rains provided limited relief to ongoing drought conditions. Food insecurity continues to rise in these areas, as poor rainfall has threatened the region’s grain harvest.

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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 ...
SSMI Derived Products
Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)
The Blended GHCN - SSM/I Product
The Global Temperature Anomalies

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