| In the United States,
significant precipitation during the winter season alleviated
drought conditions along the immediate West Coast, although severe
to extreme drought classification continued in April throughout the
Intermountain West, the Northern Rockies, and southward into New
Mexico. Exceptional drought classification was noted through parts
of Montana and Idaho. Moderate drought conditions developed in
parts of the Southeast by the end of the month. |
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For comprehensive drought analysis across the United States,
please see the U.S.
regional drought pages.
CPC Africa Hazards Assessment
|
Long term drought
continued across areas of Africa, including the Greater Horn and
parts of southern Africa (WFP). In Zimbabwe, an estimated 5.5
million people will require emergency food aid during 2004 (AFP).
The onset of seasonal rains brought at least short-term relief to
many areas during April. |
| In China, a
significant dust storm affected northwest China's Ningxia Hui and
Inner Mongolia Autonomous regions on the 25th. Visibilities were
severely reduced in the city of Shizuishan, keeping many local
residents in their homes. Another dust storm was detected via
satellite across the Taklimakan Desert on the 28th. |
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In the United States,
record heat affected areas of California during April 26-27.
Records broken for the month of April included 100°F
(37.8°C) at Yorba Linda on the 26th and 27th, 98°F
(36.7°C) at Sacramento on the 26th and 99°F (37.2°C) at
Paso Robles on the 27th. |
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A strong storm system
in the upper levels of the atmosphere brought showers and
thunderstorms to areas of the southwestern U.S. and adjacent areas
of northern Mexico during April 1-6. In the Coahuila state of
northern Mexico, a deadly flash flood occurred along the
Escondido River in Piedras Negras where locally 125-180 mm (~5-7
inches) of rain fell late on the 5th and early on the 6th. At least
36 people were killed by the early morning flooding which damaged
or destroyed hundreds of homes, prompting a state of emergency
declaration by Mexican president Vicente Fox (Reuters/AFP).
Coahuila governor Enrique Martinez described the flooding as some
of the worst in the history of the U.S.-Mexico border region
(AFP/Associated Press). Heavy rain and flooding
also affected areas of New Mexico and Texas. |
Heavy rains in Angola produced flooding along the river system
which flows into neighboring Zambia, Botswana and Namibia.
Extensive flooding along the Zambezi River threatened more than
20,000 people in northeastern Namibia, and was characterized by
local officials as the worst flooding since 1958 (Reuters).
| Heavy rains caused
flooding and landslides in the Peruvian city of Aguas Calientes
during April 8-11. Hundreds of tourists were stranded visiting the
Incan ruins of Machu Picchu as flooding destroyed 15 homes and
blocked transportation routes (AFP). |
Areas Affected By Flooding
|
In the Greater Horn of Africa, at least 50 people drowned as a
result of flooding in Djibouti's capital city. Torrential rains
during the night of April 12-13 were reportedly the heaviest in 10
years in Djibouti. The heavy rain cut electricity and washed away
part of a railway line into neighboring Ethiopia. The majority of
the flooding surged along the dry Ambouli riverbed between the
cities of Djibouti and Balbala (Reuters/AFP).
In Russia, at least ten people were killed and thousands
displaced as flooding affected the Kemerovo region of Siberia on
the 17th. More than 20 towns and villages were affected by flooding
in the Kemerovo, Altay and Tomsk regions (Associated
Press/OCHA)
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In Bosnia, heavy rains
caused extensive flooding along the country's river system,
affecting as many as 300,000 people. More than 120,000 hectares
(300,000 acres) of agriculural land was also flooded (OCHA) |
In Saudi Arabia, 5 people were killed from floodwaters in the
southern part of the country as heavy rains affected the area
around Jizan City on the 19th (Disasterrelief.org).
| In northeastern India,
flooding affected the state of Manipur during mid to late April.
Approximately 1,000 houses were submerged, and there was
significant damage to paddy fields which were in the early part of
the harvest cycle (IFRC). |
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In the United States, flooding affected parts of Arkansas and
Oklahoma during the 24th-25th, resulting in at least 5 deaths
(Reuters).
For an archive of flood events worldwide, see the
Dartmouth Flood Observatory.
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Severe thunderstorms
and tornadoes hit northern Bangladesh on the 14th, flattening
villages, uprooting trees and killing at least 76 people
(Reuters/IFRC). The worst-affected areas included Netrokona and
Mymensingh. In Netrokona, nearly 3,000 people were injured
(Reuters/IFRC). Additional tornadoes affected the capital of Dhaka
on the 19th, killing at least 7 people (Disasterrelief.org). |
| Severe thunderstorms
spawned 52
tornadoes in the United States on the 20th, with the majority
of these occurring in the states of Illinois and
Indiana. |
Photo Of Tornado Near Jamestown, Indiana On
April 20
|
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In China, severe
thunderstorms produced a tornado and "fist-sized" hail in parts of
central China on the 21st. The tornado was responsible for 7 deaths
in Hengyang city (Hunan province), destroyed 2,000 homes and 1,100
hectares (2,700 acres) of crops (AFP). |
| Typhoon Sudal developed in
the western Pacific Ocean on the 4th as a tropical depression and
reached typhoon strength by the 6th. Sudal passed just southeast of
Yap Island on the 8th-9th with maximum sustained winds near 205
km/hr (110 knots or 125 mph). The typhoon damaged more than 90
percent of public utilities and property, while also damaging more
than 90 percent of lowland and upland crops (OCHA). The last
typhoon to affect Yap State was Typhoon
Lupit in November 2003. |
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Tropical Cyclone
22P developed
in the South Pacific Ocean on the 7th and moved across Fiji during
the 8th, producing very heavy rainfall. Maximum sustained winds
were near 65 km/hr (35 knots or 40 mph). There were at least 9
deaths on Viti Levu island attributed to the tropical cyclone
(AFP). |
A table containing the
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index for global tropical
cyclones occurring during the month of April 2004 is available.
No reports of significant extratropical cyclones were received
during April 2004
| An unusual late-season
snow fell across parts of southern Indiana and the western parts of
Kentucky and Tennessee on the 13th. In Jackson, TN, it was the
latest
measurable snowfall on record. In Kentucky, there were 6
fatalities in traffic accidents caused by slick driving
conditions. |
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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
