GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
NOVEMBER 2005
UNITED STATES
West
Moderate to severe long-term drought persisted throughout parts of the Pacific
Northwest eastward into the northern Rockies, with extreme drought noted in
Washington east of the Cascades. Meanwhile, severe to extreme drought affected
areas of the Great Lakes region, where some of the worst conditions were
observed in northwestern Illinois. More severe drought plagued areas of
northeast Texas.
Midwest
Severe thunderstorms produced a deadly tornado near Evansville, Indiana during
the early morning hours of November 6. There were 23 fatalaties from the
tornado, with 19 of the deaths occurring in the Eastbrook Mobile Home Park
located just to the southeast of the city (Associated Press). It was Indiana's
deadliest tornado since the "Super Outbreak" on April 3, 1974.
Plains
A major winter storm affected parts of Nebraska and the Dakotas during the 27th28th. Snowfall accumulations of 41-51 cm (16-20 inches) were observed in parts
of eastern South Dakota, while wind gusts exceeding 97 km/hr (60 mph) also
accompanied the snow, creating blizzard conditions. Thousands of power outages
were caused by the combination of strong winds and heavy snow. In South Dakota,
about 8,000 utility poles and 10,000 miles of transmission line were brought
down by the storm (Associated Press).
AFRICA
Greater Horn
Long-term drought continued in parts of the Greater Horn of Africa, including
southern Somalia, eastern Kenya and southeastern Ethiopia. Across southeastern
Africa, long-term drought affected parts of Mozambique, southern Malawi and
Zimbabwe. In Malawi, the World Food Programme estimated that nearly 5 million
people would need food aid until March 2006 (OCHA).
INDIA
In Sri Lanka, floods triggered by heavy rains killed 6 people and damaged
thousands of homes during mid-November. Flooding affected areas that had been
devastated by the tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004 (Reuters).
Heavy rains brought flooding in adjacent areas of southern India during the last
two weeks of the month. In the state of Tamil Nadu, over 2 million people were
affected by the flooding with at least 162 fatalities. Two of the worst-affected
districts in the state were Cuddalore and Nagapattinam (IFRC).
ASIA
Typhoon Kai-Tak developed on October 29 in the South China Sea and attained
typhoon strength the next day. Kai-Tak moved parallel to the coast of northern
Vietnam while slowly weakening, finally coming ashore near Vinh on November 2nd
with maximum sustained winds near 85 km/hr (45 knots or 50 mph). Up to 737 mm
(29 inches) of rain drenched Quang Ngai province, resulting in massive flooding.
There were at least 15 deaths in Vietnam (Reuters).
Tropical Storm Tembin developed in the Philippine Sea on the 7th and reached the
northern Philippines by the 10th with maximum sustained winds near 85 km/hr (45
knots or 50 mph). Temblin's primary impact was torrential rain over Luzon.
Temblin dissipated over the South China Sea on the 11th.
Typhoon Bolaven developed in the Philippine Sea as a depression on the 13th,
reaching typhoon strength by the 17th. Bolaven weakened considerably as it
approached the northern Philippines, tracking across northern Luzon as a
tropical storm on the 20th with maximum sustained winds near 75 km/hr (40 knots
or 45 mph). Heavy rainfall was the primary impact from Bolaven.
CARIBBEAN
Tropical Storm Gamma developed off the north coast of Honduras on the 18th from
the regenerated Tropical Depression #27 which had initially formed on the 13th
in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Gamma dissipated on the 20th, however, heavy rains
in parts of Central America produced a significant impact. In Honduras, flooding
and mudslides killed 34 people, while 3 deaths were reported in Belize (AFP).
Atlantic
Delta existed as a tropical storm in the open waters of the central Atlantic
Ocean during November 23-28. Delta lost its tropical characteristics on the
28th, transforming into an extratropical cyclone. This storm system tracked
across the Canary Islands and into Morocco on the 29th. Winds gusted as high as
200 km/hr (124 mph) in parts of Tenerife, causing wind damage. At least 7 deaths
were attributed to the storm (BBC News).