State of the Climate
Global Hazards
July 2006
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Climatic Data Center
Use the form below to access monthly reports.
St.
Louis Storms |
Global
Hazards And Significant Events
July 2006
Severe thunderstorms produced widespread power outages across
St. Louis during late July 2006, while deadly heat gripped areas of
the nation. Additional
information can be found below.
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Drought
& Heat | Flooding | Storms | Tropical Cyclones |
Extratropical Cyclones | Severe Winter Weather
Across the United States, significant drought extended from
Arizona and New Mexico eastward to parts of the central Gulf Coast.
The most severely affected areas included southern Arizona,
southern Texas and central South Dakota.
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U.S.
Drought Monitor
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A heat wave affected a large portion of the nation during July
16-25. California was particularly affected, with 140 deaths
attributed to high temperatures soaring past 40°C
(104°F)(New York Times/Associated Press).
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U.S. Heat Wave
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Africa Rainfall Anomalies
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Long-term drought continued to affect much of Somalia, far
eastern Ethiopia and central areas of Kenya. Across the remainder
of Ethiopia, multi-month rainfall has been above average, boosting
water supplies and favoring agricultural production. For the latest
African analysis and forecast, see the Famine
Early Warning System Network.
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Hot weather enveloped much of Europe during mid-to-late July,
with temperatures surpassing 32°C (90°F). In Britain on the
afternoon of the 19th, temperatures reached 36.5°C (97.7°F)
at Wisley, or the hottest July temperature ever recorded in
Britain. By late month across Europe, at least 50 deaths were
blamed on the heat in Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands
(Associated Press/AFP).
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European
Heat
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In Afghanistan, a lack of rainfall beginning in April 2006 has
resulted in significant drought across the country. An estimated
2.5 million people were affected by the drought (Government of
Afghanistan).
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Heavy monsoon-related rainfall caused a mudslide in northern
Pakistan's Kalam Valley in the village of Ghaeel on July 3. The
mudslide buried three houses, killing 22 people (OCHA). Later in
the month, flooding prompted by torrential rainfall affected the
northwestern village of Gorvek along the Afghanistan border. There
were 13 deaths and 300 injuries (Associated Press).
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Landslide In Pakistan
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Heavy monsoon rainfall in India was blamed for 41 deaths across
the country during the 4th-5th. Flooding crippled Mumbai as road
and rail transportation was impacted by floodwaters (Reuters).
Heavy rain affected Kolkata (Calcutta) in West Bengal state on the
19th producing widespread flooding in the city. About 180 mm (7
inches) of rain was recorded (AFP). Elsewhere in India by
late-month, 110,000 people were evacuated from flooded areas of
Maharashtra and Gujarat states. By the end of July, the death toll
from monsoon-related flooding was near 500 since the end of May
2006 (DPA).
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In Turkey, flooding from heavy rains killed at least 8 people
during July 1-2. The most significant damage was in the
northeastern part of the country near the Black Sea from the cities
of Samsun to Giresun (AFP).
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In Romania, thunderstorms produced flooding during the July 1-2
in the northern part of the country, resulting in the deaths of 11
people (AFP).
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Africa Hazards Assessment
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Rainfall generated flooding and produced landslides in central
Chile during July 10-12. There were 19 reported fatalities, seven
of which occurred in a landslide in Chiguayante (OCHA/Associated
Press).
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Across the Korean Peninsula, heavy rainfall that initiated with
the arrival of Ewiniar
during the 10th-14th continued in the wake of the tropical weather
system as the Northeast Monsoon promoted more excessive rainfall.
Flooding was blamed for hundreds of deaths in North Korea and at
least 25 deaths in South Korea (Associated Press). Excessive
rainfall in neighboring Japan produced flooding and mudslides that
claimed at least 22 lives (OCHA/AFP).
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Asia
Rainfall Anomalies
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St. Louis Area Storms
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In the United States, two episodes of severe thunderstorms
caused massive power outages in the greater St. Louis, Missouri
area. The culprit severe weather episodes occurred on the 19th and
again on the 21st, causing the largest power outage in the city's
history. At the height of the power failure, 570,000 customers lost
power in St. Louis (Associated Press). Exacerbating the power
disruptions was a heat wave which affected much of the region. For
a complete report on the storms, please see the National
Weather Service report.
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Typhoon Ewiniar
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Typhoon Ewiniar developed
as a depression in the western Pacific Ocean on June 29, reached
tropical storm strength the next day and typhoon status by July 3.
Ewiniar weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall in
southwestern South Korea on the 10th with maximum sustained winds
near 75 km/hr (40 knots or 50 mph). The primary impact of the storm
was heavy
rainfall along the Korean Peninsula.
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Tropical Storm Bilis developed as a
depression in the western Pacific Ocean on the 8th and reached
tropical storm strength the next day. As the storm passed to the
north of the Philippines, heavy rainfall was blamed for dozens of
deaths in the northern part of that country. Bilis tracked across
the northern tip of Taiwan by the 13th before making landfall in
southeastern China's Fujian province with maximum sustained winds
near 100 km/hr (55 knots or 65 mph). There were at least 575 deaths
attributed to Bilis in Fujian, Guangdong and Hunan provinces. Bilis
prompted the evacuation of 2.5 million people, and resulted in
direct economic losses near $3.3 billion (USD) (OCHA/Reuters).
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Tropical
Storm Bilis
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Tropical Storm Beryl Radar Loop
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Tropical Storm Beryl developed off
the southeast coast of the United States on the 18th and brushed
southern New England, passing over Nantucket Island during the
early morning of the 21st with maximum sustained winds near 85
km/hr (45 knots or 50 mph). Winds on Nantucket gusted to 71 km/hr
(44 mph).
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Typhoon Kaemi developed as a
depression in the western Pacific Ocean on the 18th, reaching
typhoon strength by the 20th. Kaemi crossed Taiwan on the 24th with
maximum sustained winds near 130 km/hr (70 knots or 80 mph), then
made landfall in southeastern China's Fujian province near Gulangyu
the next day. Rainfall produced widespread flooding that was blamed
for at least 34 deaths and 75 missing persons in China, along with
the destruction of thousands of homes (AFP/OCHA).
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Typhoon
Kaemi
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No reports of significant extratropical cyclones were received
during July 2006
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No reports of severe winter weather were received during July
2006
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