Please note: Material provided in this report is chosen subjectively and included at the discretion of the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The ability to report on a given event is limited by the amount of information available to NCDC at the time of publication. Inclusion of a particular event does not constitute a greater importance in comparison with an event that has not been incorporated into the discussion. Data included in this report are preliminary unless otherwise stated. Links to supporting information are valid at the time of publication, but they are not maintained or changed after publication.
& Heat | Flooding | Storms | Tropical Cyclones |
Extratropical Cyclones | Severe Winter Weather
Wilma Animation (8MB)
Hazards And Significant Events
Hurricane Wilma became the 21st named storm of the 2005
Atlantic hurricane season. Wilma broke the all-time minimum
pressure record for the Atlantic Basin on the 19th, reaching
intensity in the northwest Caribbean Sea. Wilma brought
devastation to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and south Florida in the
United States. Additional
information can be found below.
Across the United States, 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 Mississippi Valley, where some of the worst conditions
were observed in northwestern Illinois.
African Rainfall Anomalies
Long-term drought continued in parts of the Greater Horn of
Africa, including southern Somalia, eastern Kenya and northeastern
Tanzania. Across southeastern Africa, long-term drought affected
parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. For the latest African analysis
and forecast, see the Famine
Early Warning System Network.
Long-term drought in Brazil's Amazon region has resulted in the
lowest water levels in at least 30 years along the world's second
longest river. Downstream, the city of Iquitos, Peru experienced
long delays in the delivery of food as the Amazon River became
increasingly difficult to navigate due to the very low water levels
(BBC News). Some portions of northern Brazil were experiencing the
worst drought conditions in nearly 60 years.
America Precipitation Anomalies
Drought conditions extended further south into neighboring
Paraguay, where the northern departments of Boqueron, Presidente
Hayes and Alto Paraguay were adversely affected (IFRC).
in the Atlantic and Typhoon Longwang in the Pacific were
responsible for extensive flooding and loss of life during October.
Information on these events can be found in the Tropical
section of this report .
Across northern China, heavy rainfall in the Shaanxi province
during late September to early October 2005 produced extensive
river flooding. The most significant flooding in a decade occurred
along sections of the Weihe River and Hanjiang River. At least 16
deaths were reported, with flooding prompting the evacuation of
over 350,000 people. Direct economic losses were estimated near
$239 million (USD) (AFP).
Northeast U.S. Rainfall
Torrential rains in the Northeast United States caused
extensive flooding in parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, New York and New Jersey between October 7-12. There
were at least 10 reported deaths attributed to the flooding
(Associated Press). Rainfall amounts of 150-250 mm (~6 to 10
inches) were common in the affected areas.
Additional rainfall during October 14-16 caused further
flooding from New Jersey northward into New England. Totals ranged
from 100 to 200 mm (4 to 8 inches) in parts of the region, flooding
rivers and streams, and placing considerable strain on reservoir
and lake dams (Reuters).
New England Rainfall
It was the wettest October on record in 15 cities throughout
the Northeast United States. Five of those cities experienced their
all-time record wettest months: Concord, NH, Islip, NY, Newark, NJ,
Allentown, PA and Providence, RI.
A complete listing of significant rainfall records in the United
States during October can be found on the city
and state extremes page.
Heavy rains in Las Vegas, Nevada on the 17th-18th totaled 36.1
mm (1.42 inches), breaking the record for the entire month of
October. The old record was 31 mm (1.22 inches) set in 1992. The
rainfall overwhelmed flood channels, swamped roadways and knocked
out power (Associated Press).
In the United Kingdom, heavy rainfall on the 12th flooded towns
along the border between Scotland and England as well as in Wales.
A key rail line (West Coast Main Line) was temporarily closed
between Carlisle in northwest England and Glasgow. In Keswick, 82
mm (3.2 inches) of rain fell in a 24-hour period (AFP).
Heavy rains during October across central Vietnam produced
flooding that killed at least 67 people (OCHA). The most
severely-affected area was the Binh Dinh province where 3,200
houses were damaged and most of the fatalities occurred.
No reports of significant severe weather were received during
developed in the western Pacific Ocean on September 25, reaching
typhoon strength by the 27th. Longwang moved across Taiwan on
October 2 with maximum sustained winds near 215 km/hr (115 knots or
130 mph). The typhoon crossed the Formosa Strait and reached the
southeast China coast in Fujian province later the same day with
maximum sustained winds at landfall near 150 km/hr (80 knots or 90
mph). Longwang was responsible for one death in Taiwan and caused a
half-million power-outages to homes and businesses. In southeast
China, 65 deaths were attributed to the storm (CNN/AFP).
Image Of Longwang
Satellite Image Of Stan
Hurricane Stan developed as a
depression to the east of the Yucatan Peninsula on October 1,
reaching tropical storm strength before tracking across the Yucatan
on the 2nd. Stan emerged into the Bay of Campeche on the 3rd and
reached hurricane strength the next day. Stan came ashore to the
southeast of Veracruz, Mexico at Punta Roca Partida on the 4th with
maximum sustained winds near 130 km/hr (70 knots or 80 mph).
Torrential rain (250-400 mm/~10-15 inches) caused flooding and
mudslides over portions of Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras and El
Salvador around the time of Stan's existence and led to hundreds of
deaths. It is impossible to relate the rainfall directly to
Hurricane Stan, however.
Tropical Storm Tammy developed just
off the U.S. Florida east coast on the 5th, coming inland near
Jacksonville with maximum sustained winds near 85 km/hr (45 knots
or 50 mph). The primary impact from Tammy was heavy rainfall across
Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Satellite Image Of Tammy
Satellite Image Of Vince
Hurricane Vince developed from
a non-tropical low-pressure system that acquired tropical
characteristics on the 9th approximately 225 km (140 miles)
northwest of the Madeira Islands. Vince weakened into a tropical
depression before landfall near Huelva, Spain at 0900 UTC on the
11th. Winds at Jerez De La Frontera gusted to 81 km/hr (51 mph) as
the depression came ashore. This was the first documented tropical
depression to ever make lanfall in Spain.
Hurricane Wilma developed as a
depression to the southeast of the Cayman Islands on the 15th.
Wilma reached tropical storm status on the 17th and hurricane
strength the next day. With the formation of Hurricane Wilma, the
2005 Atlantic hurricane season tied the record for the most named
storms for any season (21 storms in 1933), and also tied the record
for the most hurricanes in a single season (12 in 1969). Wilma
peaked at category-5 intensity on the 19th, with a minimum central
pressure falling to 882 millibars (26.05 inches of mercury), the
lowest pressure ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. Wilma also
became the most rapidly-intensifying storm on record, with a
maximum-sustained surface wind speed increase of 169 km/hr (105
mph) in a 24-hour period (NOAA/NHC).
Wilma Near Peak Intensity
Wilma Near Cozumel
reached Cozumel, Mexico on the 21st with maximum sustained
winds near 225 km/hr (120 knots or 140 mph, category-4), causing
widespread destruction. The hurricane crossed the Yucatan Peninsula
near Playa del Carmen on the 22nd with highest sustained winds near
210 km/hr (115 knots or 130 mph). Wilma forced more than 70,000
people into emergency shelters, rendered 300,000 homeless and
caused severe damage to the dwellings of nearly 700,000 people. In
Mexico, at least 7 deaths were blamed on the storm (OCHA). Wilma
entered the Gulf of Mexico late on the 22nd, tracking to the
northeast. A powerful storm surge breached the storm wall
protecting Havana, Cuba, flooding the coastal highway and
inundating Havana's western neighborhoods with waist-high water on
the 23rd (BBC News).
Wilma continued to the northeast, reaching the U.S. coastline
near Everglades City in Florida on the 24th with maximum sustained
winds near 195 km/hr (105 knots or 120 mph). The hurricane
accelerated across south Florida and the Miami/Fort Lauderdale
area, exiting the coast later the same day. Wilma raced to the
northeast over open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, becoming
non-tropical by the 25th. There were 10 fatalities in Florida, and
nearly 6 million people lost power, the most widespread power
outage in Florida history (Associated Press). Preliminary estimates
of insured losses in Florida were over $6 billion, while uninsured
losses were over $12 billion (USD). A complete report on Hurricane
Wilma is available.
Radar Image Of Wilma Over Florida
Satellite Image Of Alpha
Tropical Storm Alpha developed on
the 22nd southeast of Hispaniola, crossing the coast of the
Dominican Republic near Barahona early on the 23rd with maximum
sustained winds near 85 km/hr (45 knots or 50 mph). Heavy rainfall
produced flooding that was blamed for 12 deaths in Haiti
(Associated Press). Alpha became the 22nd named storm in the 2005
Atlantic hurricane season, breaking the record for the most storms
in a single season (21 storms set in 1933). Exhausting the list of
names for the 2005 season after 'Wilma', the NOAA/National
Hurricane Center began using the Greek alphabet.
Hurricane Beta formed as a
depression in the southwestern Caribbean to the southeast of
Nicaragua on the 26th, but reached tropical storm status by the
next day. Beta became the 13th hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic
season on the 29th, breaking the old record for the most hurricanes
in a single season (12 set in 1969), and the 7th major hurricane
(category-three or greater) during 2005. Landfall occurred in
Nicaragua near La Barra on the 30th as a category-two hurricane
with maximum sustained winds near 175 km/hr (95 knots or 110 mph).
Although no deaths or injuries were reported, strong winds damaged
houses near the coast and heavy rains caused widespread flooding
and mudslides across Nicaragua as well as neighboring Honduras
Beta (Click For Animation)
Satellite Image Tropical Cyclone 03B
Two short-lived tropical storms which formed in the Bay of
Bengal during the month of October brought significant rainfall to
eastern areas of India. Tropical Storm 03B affected Orissa
and West Bengal states during the first few days of the month.
Tropical Storm 04B developed on the
27th and came ashore in Andhra Pradesh state the next day. While
maximum sustained winds with both cyclones only reached 65 km/hr
(35 knots or 40 mph), torrential rains produced widespread
flooding. In the southern portion of the country, 04B caused
flooding in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,
resulting in at least 100 deaths (Reuters/OCHA).
Nor'easter Affects U.S. Eastern Seaboard
A powerful extratropical storm system trekked up the Eastern
Seaboard of the United States on the 25th, producing a variety of
weather conditions. Strong winds gusted to 85 km/hr (52 mph) at
Boston's Logan Airport along with heavy rainfall. Rainfall from the
storm teamed up with an already wet October to break monthly
rainfall records at Providence, Rhode Island and Worcester,
Massachusetts. Mount Washington, New Hampshire received 729 mm
(28.7 inches) of precipitation during October, or the all-time
wettest month. Heavy snow fell throughout interior New England
southward into the central Appalachians. Details on the snowfall
aspect of the storm can be found below in the Winter weather section of this report.
Upper Midwest Snow Depth
An early-season winter storm dumped as much as 2 feet (61cm) of
snow on parts of North Dakota on the 5th. In southeastern Montana,
around 28 cm (11 inches) accumulated. At least 11,000 utility
customers in the region were affected by power outages from the
heavy snowfall (Associated Press). The snow occurred just a few
days after high temperatures over 50°C (90°F) in areas of
Heavy snowfall affected the Colorado Rockies, including the
greater Denver area, on the 10th. Snowfall
amounts of 25-50 cm (10 to 20 inches) were common, and the
heavy amounts of snow were blamed for power outages which affected
about 80,000 homes and businesses. There were three fatalities
blamed on the early-season winter storm (Associated Press).
Heavy snow fell from parts of interior New England southward
into the central Appalachians on the 25th. Accumulations ranged as
high as 25-50 cm (10 to 20 inches) in Maine and Vermont, while
farther to the south, up to 18 cm (7 inches) fell in parts of the
higher elevations of West Virginia. Light accumulations (on the
order of 5 centimeters or 2 inches) also occurred as far south as
the highest mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North
Snow In Binghamton, New York