Weather in 2007

Weather in 2007 was expected to continue the trend of rising global temperatures and extreme weather.Fact|date=August 2007

The summer was characterised on the one hand by extreme heat in Southern Europe and South Asia, and on the other by record-breaking floods in the United Kingdom and South Asia.

Predictions

In their annual January forecast for the coming year's global weather, The Met Office, United Kingdom's national weather service, predicted that 2007 will be the warmest year on Earth ever recorded. The year is expected to be 0.54 °C higher than the average between 1961-1990, while the previously hottest year on record (1998) was 0.52 °C above the long-term average. The El Niño phenomenon that currently persists in the Pacific Ocean is expected to be the main factor keeping temperatures high throughout the globe. [cite web |url=http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/news/NewsFullStory.asp?ID=1765 |title=2007 predicted to be hottest year yet |accessdate=2007-01-05 ]

Important weather events

Africa

2007 Mozambican flood

Since late December 2006 heavy rains started affecting the Southern Africa country. Several rivers and dams overflowed during the following month, including Zambezi, one of the major rivers in Africa. The floods caused the displacement of more than 160,000 people. On February 22 the strong tropical cyclone Favio made landfall in Mozambique, worsening the situation. Over 50 people were killed in the floods and the storm and over 200,000 people were otherwise affected. The floods and the storm have caused widespread destruction of farmland, homes and infrastructure. The country's agricultural production is estimated to have been brought down by 60 percent, causing a threat of famine to 800,000 people. Major food imports are planned. [cite web |url=http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN148448.html |title=Mozambique to import food after drought, floods |accessdate=2007-05-29 ]

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Asia

2007 Southern Asia cold wave

A cold wave started affecting Northern India, Bangladesh and Nepal around the turn of the year, and during January, temperatures close to freezing have claimed more than 80 lives in India and over 50 in Bangladesh. [cite web |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B586170.htm |title=Winter chill kills 80 in northern India |accessdate=2007-01-05 ] In Nepal, temperatures across the southern plains have been around 12 °C below normal. More than 30 fatalities are attributed to the cold in the country. [cite web |url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-6X6EFV?OpenDocument&rc=3 |title=Nepal cold snap toll put at 33 |accessdate=2007-01-05 ] On 14 February the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, received its first snowfall in 63 years. [cite web |url=http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=345690&rel_no=1 |title=Unusual Snowfall in Nepal |accessdate=2007-02-24 ]

2007 Southern Asian heat wave

A heat wave affected such South Asian countries as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal in June. Temperatures over 45 °C / 110 °F were widely recorded, causing many casualties. The heat wave brought on strong monsoon rains from the Indian Ocean, starting with Cyclone Gonu.

Cyclone Gonu

A tropical cyclone, a type of storm rarely encountered on the arid northern and western shores of the Arabian Sea, developed over the eastern part of the sea starting from 1 June. After moving west towards Oman, it intensified rapidly and became the strongest cyclone ever recorded over the Arabian Sea, and tied for the strongest over the entire Northern Indian Ocean (which, in addition to the Arabian Sea, also includes the Bay of Bengal). Its central pressure was 920 mbar at its lowest, and the wind speed (1 min sustained) reached 260 km/h (70 m/s, 160 mph). After losing strength, the storm crossed the eastern tip of Oman and continued to the Gulf of Oman, the first tropical cyclone to do so. 72 fatalities and economic losses exceeding $1 billion (2007 USD) were reported in Oman, making it the worst natural catastrophe in the country's history. Many roads and other infrastructure were destroyed by the flooding and ocean storm waves.

2007 South Asian floods

During June 2007, heavy monsoon rains started battering the western part of India as well as coastal Pakistan. The major Pakistani city of Karachi, on the south coast, was heavily hit by flooding, severely damaging the infrastructure and displacing many people.

From late July to early August, the situation worsened again, with floods and landslides killing more than 1,000 and displacing over 20 million people in India, Bangladesh and Nepal in what was described by the United Nations as the worst flooding in living memory. [cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/03/soasia.floods/index.html |title= Millions flee 'worst ever' floods |accessdate=2007-08-06 ] In the Indian state of Bihar, one of the worst hit areas, more than 10 million people were affected. In Bangladesh, more than half of the capital city Dhaka was inundated. The water levels were raised by abnormally persistent monsoon rains and, for Brahmaputra, snow melting from the Himalayan glaciers. The floods widely disrupted traffic connections and caused heavy damage to crops.

2007 North Korea flooding

On August 15, North Korean officials announced after a week of torrential rainfall that the country was experiencing severe flooding and outside help was needed. This was a rare request from a country that usually keeps silent about its internal affairs.

By the end of August, 600 people had been reported to have died and up to 300,000 left homeless because of the flooding. Major portions of the country's rice and corn crops had been destroyed and widespread famine was feared.

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Europe

2006-2007 Europe winter heat wave

Following a dry, hot summer in 2006, the Northern Atlantic Ocean stayed warm for the autumn, which in part helped to make the autumn and following winter warmer and wetter than usual (see also "Weather in 2006"). The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season wasn't particularly active, especially compared to the previous season, but after the beginning of January 2007, several severe windstorms started harassing Northern Europe.

Windstorm Per

On 14 January a powerful storm affected Norway and Sweden, moving eastward from the North Sea. Six people lost their lives in Sweden, mostly due to falling trees. Altogether, large areas of trees were felled by the hurricane-force winds, generating speculation about the market price of timber falling like happened after the 2005 storm Erwin/Gudrun

Windstorm Kyrill

A low pressure area formed on 5 January over Newfoundland and moved across the Northern Atlantic Ocean, becoming an extratropical cyclone. It reached the British Isles on 17 January. It then crossed the North Sea and made landfall in the Netherlands and Germany on 18 January, continuing east through Central Europe. The storm widely generated hurricane force winds, with the strongest winds, 225 km/h (140 mph), recorded on the Aletsch Glacier on the Swiss Alps. There were at least 44 casualties, and the economic damage exceeded €1 billion. The storm caused widespread disturbances in the electric grid and in the traffic network.

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thumb|250px|right|The_heat_wave_was_brought_on_by_Jet stream patterns that sucked hot, dry air from Northern Africa and Arabia]

2007 European heat wave

After the middle of June 2007 an area of high pressure and very high temperatures started affecting the Southern Europe countries of Italy, Greece and Turkey and spreading to Eastern Europe all the way to Ukraine. In the East of the Mediterranean, temperatures exceeding 45°C / 110 °F were recorded.In late July, temperatures started rising again, this time focusing on the Balkan Peninsula and Eastern Europe, with places further north like Slovakia experiencing temperatures exceeding 30 °C (85 °F). Bulgaria was also badly affected with large forest fires raging out of control for days. The country recorded its highest temperatures ever measured - 45 °C in Petrich on July 23, 2007.

ummer 2007 Northern European floods

The end of June 2007 in the region of the British Isles was marked by a pattern of persistent low pressure areas, unusual for this time of the year. It was concurrent with the Southern Europe heat wave (see above). The low pressures brought masses of rain, causing widespread flooding in many parts of the United Kingdom, with the consequence of mass evacuations and heavy flood damage. The low pressure areas at times wandered eastwards, causing floods in Sweden and Denmark.

In late July, after a period of stillness, heavy rains started again, causing severe disruption of traffic on both roads and rails in middle and southern parts of Britain.

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North America

2007 North American ice storm

A severe ice storm affected an extensive area of the United States, from California to New England, lasting from 12 January until 16 January 2007. Prior to the storm, North America had experienced relatively mild winter weather like Europe. However, during the late second week of January, an area of low pressure that formed in the South brought several waves of frozen precipitation over wide areas of the United States. The storm cut power from hundreds of thousands of people in several states. The storm was followed by a period of intense chill in the West of the United States, with frost damages to the California citrus fruit crops estimated to be close to a billion dollars. Areas of California that have never in recorded history experienced snow now received some for the first time.

2007 Western North American heat wave

The 2007 western North American heat wave was a record-breaking event that began in late June 2007. The heat stretched from Mexico to Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and into northwestern Ontario. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/07/24/heat-wave.html Heat wave sweeps across Prairies] CBC News, 7-24-2007] The record heat has exacerbated already present record-breaking drought conditions in much of the Western U. S., allowing fires to grow to record-breaking sizes.

April 2007 storm

The Eastern United States and Canada were hit by a powerful winter storm on 13-16 April 2007 that caused widespread flooding on Long Island and elsewhere on the East Coast, hundreds of flights being canceled and damage to coastal areas. There were at least 15 fatalities. The pressure in the low pressure center was at its lowest 958 mbar, which in a tropical storm would indicate a Category 3 hurricane. A storm this powerful at this time of the year is unusual: according to a meteorologist, it is something that normally happens once in 25 years. [cite web |url=http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_105190528.html |title=Northeast Slammed By Rare April Storm |accessdate=2007-04-16 ]

2007 California wildfires

The October 2007 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyedcite news| title=1,500 homes lost; $1B loss in San Diego area
work = Associated Press| author=Gillian Flaccus
url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003971082_wildfires24.html
date=2007-10-24| publisher = Seattle Times
accessdate=2007-10-24] and over 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) of land burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border. As of October 24, 18 active fires were burning in the region.cite news | url=http://www.calfires.com/ | title=Southern California Fire Report | work=CalFires.com | publisher=State of California | date=October 222007 | accessdate=2007-10-22] Seven people died as a direct result of the fire; 85 others were injured, including at least 61 fire fighters [cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/26/fire.wildfire.ca/index.html?eref=onion | title=Fire deaths, damage come into focus as evacuees cope | work=cnn.com | publisher=CNN | date=October 262007|accessdate=2007-10-28] Their severity was fueled by Santa Ana winds and the 2007 Western North American heat wave.

2007 Tabasco flood

The Mexican state of Tabasco was subject to heavy rain in late October and early November 2007, causing widespread flooding. As much as 80% of the state was under water.cite news | url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/5276812.html | title=Mexicans missing after flood, landslide | author=Verdugo, Eduardo | work=Chron.com | publisher=Hearst Corporation | date=November 62007|accessdate=2007-11-06] At least 20,000 people were forced to seek emergency shelter.cite news | url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/5262972.html | title=Tens of thousands flee Mexico flooding | author=Adamsn, Lisa | work=Chron.com | publisher=Hearst Corporation | date=October 312007|accessdate=2007-11-06] Over 1,000,000 residents have been affected.cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/11/02/mexico.floods.ap/index.html |title= Devastating floods prompt outbreak fears in Mexico | work=CNN.com | publisher=Turner Broadcasting | date=November 22007 |accessdate=2007-11-06] [cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21590403 | title='Mini-tsunami' buries Mexican village - Landslide leaves 16 missing as other flooded areas try to recover | work=MSNBC.com |date=November 62007 |accessdate=2007-11-06]

Notes

ee also

* Tornadoes of 2007
* 2007 Atlantic hurricane season
* 2007 Pacific hurricane season
* 2007 Pacific typhoon season
* 2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
* 2006-07 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
* 2007-08 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
* 2006-07 Australian region cyclone season
* 2007-08 Australian region cyclone season
* 2006-07 South Pacific cyclone season
* 2007-08 South Pacific cyclone season
* Global warming

External links

* [http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/perspectives.html NCDC: Climate of 2007] — NOAA's monthly global weather reports