| Wet weather in areas
of the western United States during October through December
ameliorated drought conditions in parts of the region, with areas
of the Southwest receiving some of the most beneficial
precipitation. Extreme to exceptional drought persisted farther
north throughout portions of the northern and central Rockies. |
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For comprehensive drought analysis, please see the current
U.S.
drought report.
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Long-term drought
continued across areas of the Greater Horn of Africa. Lake Victoria
water levels were much below normal (a ten-year low), leading to
problems downstream in the form of irrigation concerns and a lack
of drinking water. |
| In Sri Lanka, heavy
monsoon rains produced flooding across northern and eastern parts
of the country during early to mid-December. At least 6 people were
killed by flooding, while 750,000 were rendered homeless
(AFP/Reuters). The northeast monsoon season runs from December
through January. |
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In Iran, heavy rainfall in the southern province of Bushehr
produced flooding that was blamed for the deaths of 17 people in
traffic accidents (AFP).
For an archive of flood events worldwide, see the
Dartmouth Flood Observatory.
No reports of severe storms were received during December
2004.
| Typhoon Nanmadol
developed on November 28 in the western Pacific Ocean and reached
typhoon intensity the next day. Nanmadol tracked over Luzon Island
in the northern Philippines on December 2 with maximum sustained
winds near 220 km/hr (120 knots or 140 mph), causing significant
damage. Heavy rains, exacerbated by the cumulative rainfall from
three prior tropical cyclones (including Typhoon Muifa), caused
extensive flooding. Fatalities from the four tropical systems were
blamed for almost 1,800 deaths since November 2004 (AFP/OCHA). |
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A major storm system
affected parts of the western United States during December 27-29,
bringing a variety of weather conditions to the region. Heavy rainfall
broke daily precipitation records at some locations in
California, with Los Angeles (downtown) breaking a daily rainfall
record for the month of December (141 mm/5.55 inches fell on the
28th). This was the third wettest calendar day in Los Angeles since
records began in 1877. Very heavy snow fell across the Sierra
Nevada Mountains, with some areas receiving several feet of
accumulation. Winds with this weather system gusted over 105 km/hr
(65 mph) at some coastal and mountain locations in California. |
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In the United States,
the first widespread, significant lake-effect snowfall event of the
season occurred on December 14. Locally 10-25 (4-10 inches) cm of
snow fell downwind of the Great Lakes. |
| Heavy accumulations of
snow and ice blanketed areas of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana
and Michigan, breaking daily snowfall
records in some locations. Accumulations exceeded 51cm (20
inches) in parts of Kentucky and
Indiana. |
Snow Buries Paducah, KY On December
22
|
The same storm system dumped heavy accumulations of snow over
much of Ontario in Canada on the 23rd, causing hundreds of flight
delays at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on one of the
busiest travel days of the year (Reuters).
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Snow fell on Christmas
Day in Deep South Texas. In Corpus Christi, snow totaled 11.2 cm
(4.4 inches), and it was only the second White Christmas ever in
Corpus Christi. Farther north in Victoria, 31.8 cm (12.5 inches) of
snow fell, making it the first White Christmas on record for
Victoria. |
| Snow fell across the
coastal plain of North Carolina and into southeast Virginia on the
26th. Snowfall accumulations of 10-20 cm (4-8 inches) were reported
in areas of North Carolina, with locally 30 cm (12 inches) in the
Hampton Roads area of Virginia. |
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Cold, Arctic air
masses were prevalant across northern and central Canada during
December, as monthly temperatures averaged 1-4°C
(1.8-7.2°F) cooler than the long-term mean. |
In the United Arab Emirates, the first snowfall in the
historical record fell across the al-Jiys mountain range on the
30th. Hundreds of automobile accidents were reported to police as a
result of the unprecedented wintry driving conditions (AFP).
| A large of area of
Siberia experienced much below average temperatures during
December. Temperature anomalies during the month ranged from
3-5°C (5.4-9°F) below average. |
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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.
|
NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
