Simultaneous

During the latter half of 1999, simultaneous extreme weather problems were noted.

Simultaneous Flooding

On August 23, 1999 northern Iran had been hit by several disastrous floods along the Caspian Sea since July. Rain drenched New York City, flooding major highways and subways on August 27, 1999, closing subway lines due to danger of flooding. On August 27, 1999, hurricane Dennis threatened South Carolina. Flooding in Russia's North Caucasus region left 796 homes under water in the Russian Republic of Adyge on August 30, 1999.

On Sept 2, 1999 heavy rains in Uganda killed many by triggering landslides. Landslides killed many in India's far eastern state of Manipur on Sept 2, 1999. Tropical Storm Wendy moved across the South China Sea towards Hong Kong on Sept 3, 1999. Rain fell nonstop for 30 hours in Mogadishu, the capitol of Somalia, bringing public transportation to a stop on Sept 7, 1999. Eastern Bulgaria had 3 days of incessant rain, causing floods which destroyed 7 bridges and created a state of emergency in Pomorie on the Black Sea coast on Sept 7, 1999. Rains caused drowning deaths in South Korea as up to 14 inches of rain were dumped on Seoul on Sept 13, 1999. Torrential rains in Ghana left 9,000 people homeless as 2,000 homes were flooded, and burst 3 dams on Sept 14, 1999. Hail and rain pounded Spain on Sept 15, 1999. Rainfall in Central America caused 3,400 families to leave their homes in Mexico City and 10,000 people to evacuate Veracruz on Sept 20, 1999. On Sept 21, 1999 torrential rains flooded 14,800 acres of farmland in Oaxaca. Honduras evacuated 100,000 people from the northern coast because of heavy rains that had caused flooding, destroying 9 bridges on Sept 24, 1999. India's eastern state of West Bengal was pounded by torrential rains on Sept 27, 1999, paralyzing Calcutta and isolating 100,000 residents.

The Usumacinta, Carrizal and Samaria rivers in the state of Tabasco overflowed their banks in renewed flooding and rainfall along the flood-ravaged southern Gulf of Mexico on Oct 21, 1999. 40,000 people were left homeless in 30 communities in the Congo due to unusually heavy rainfall on Oct 25, 1999. Heavy rain caused landslides in Nepal on Oct 25, 1999. South Africa was hit by floods as 4 inches of rain fell within 10 hours on Oct 27, 1999. Heavy storms left hundreds homeless in Cambodia on Oct 26, 1999. An emergency release of water from the Penoles Dam caused new floods in the flood ravaged state of Tabasco on Oct 26, 1999.

Southeastern Ethiopia experienced 10 days of pounding rains that burst the banks of the Wabe Shebelle River and inundated more than 10,000 acres of crops, leaving 79,000 homeless on Nov 1, 1999. Flooding had also occurred in the area the month before. On Nov 9, 1999 floods swept southern Greece. Heavy rains caused mudslides 500 miles north of Lima, Peru on Nov 9, 1999. Northern Italy was swept by floods and high tides on Nov 8, 1999 with a tide 46 inches above average in Venice. Vietnam experienced the worst flooding in 100 years on Nov 8, 1999. A week of cloudbursts dumped 3 feet of water on the country. The floodwaters were 5 feet deep along coastal Highway 1, and 500,000 homes were flooded. Incessant rains in Columbia over several weeks left 355,000 homeless on Nov 4, 1999. On Nov 18, 1999 an entire 328 foot hillside slid into the Rio Negro river in Brazil's port of Manaus after days of heavy rain. 3 days of torrential rains in New Zealand's south island caused evacuation in Alexandra and Roxburgh along the Clutha River on Nov 19, 1999.

Vietnam experienced renewed flooding on Dec 6, 1999, where 100,000 had to be evacuated. The worsening Vietnam floods have resulted in a million people being made homeless. The rains dumped nearly 6 feet of water in some areas of the country. Flood evacuations in Thailand occurred as storms lashed the country, forcing many residents to flee in boats on Dec 7, 1999. On Dec 7, 1999 350 homes were destroyed on Yemeni Island by torrential rains. On Dec 17, 1999 the Bosnian capitol of Sarajevo was at a standstill due to snowfall and flooding rivers which destroyed bridges and homes. On Dec 20, 1999 thousands were dead in Venezuela floods, the worst natural disaster in a century. On Dec 17, 1999 pounding rains in southern Italy resulted in floods and mudslides. Torrential rains flooded Jakarta, Indonesia on Dec 16, 1999, causing the Bangalon River to burst its banks. On Dec 23, 1999 mudslides and flooding in South Africa left 1,000 homeless. On Dec 27, 1999 flooding in Lade Chad in Nigeria left 25,000 homeless, the worst flooding in 30 years. On Dec 28, 1999 incessant rains caused flooding in the Philippine island of Mindanao, leveling 3 bridges.

 

Simultaneous Storms

On August 27, 1999 hurricane Dennis threatened South Carolina. Tropical Storm Cindy ravaged West Africa on August 31, 1999. Tropical Storn Wendy moved across the South China Sea towards Hong Kong on Sept 3, 1999. Huricane Greg lashed the west coast of Mexico and Tropical Storm Dennis moved ashore into North Carolina on Sept 7, 1999. Wenzhou, on the eastern coast of China, experienced its worst storm of the century when Tropical Storm Wendy passed through the coastal city on Sept 8, 1999. Hurricane Floyd, a Category 4 hurricane threatening to become a Category 5, was closely followed by Tropical Storm Gert on Sept 13, 1999. Tropical Storm York, the strongest storm in 16 years, battered Hong Kong on Sept 16, 1999. Hurricane Floyd had grown to a Category 5 hurricane by Sept 18, 1999. Typhoon York dropped nearly 7 inches of rain within 24 hours on Guangzhou in China, stranding 10,000 residents with flooding on Sept 20, 1999. Typhoon Bart aimed toward Taiwan and Japan on Sept 21, 1999 while Tropical Depression Ann moved through the East China Sea. Tropical Storm Cam slammed into Hong Kong on Sept 27, 1999, the second storm to lash Hong Kong in 2 weeks. On Sept 27, 1999 Typhoon Bart slammed western Japan, flooding homes up to their rooftops.

Tropical Storm Dan headed for the Luzon Straits in the Phillipines on Oct 4, 1999. On Nov 16, 1999 Hurricane Lenny's path through the Caribbean and late date in the season were unprecedented. A ferocious winter storm swept vast areas of Europe and England on Dec 6, 1999, moving through Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Poland with winds reaching 112 mph, the most damaging storm to hit Denmark in a century. Tides rose 16 feet above normal levels in the North Sea. Cyclones John and Ilse were announced on Dec 13, 1999, an early start of the cyclone season in the southern hemisphere which normally begins around January 1st. On Dec 28, 1999 a second wave of storms swept through Europe with high winds, affecting Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium and France and causing flooding in many rivers such as the Seine. Dubbed Hurricane Lothar, the storm was considered unprecedented.

 

Simultaneous Drought

An entrenched drought on the East Coast of the US threatened to be the worst in memory if it continued past August 31, 1999. Seven states had issued drought advisories. Three-quarters of all streams and rivers had registered record or near record lows. More than 18 wildfires swept across 6 western US states - Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and California - scorching more than 200,000 acres of land on August 31, 1999. On Sept 1, 1999 the Manitoba region of Canada had wildfires out of control in blazes burning over 15,000 acres. 2,000 brush fires burned out of control across Brazil, more than half of a 10,000 acre rainforest sanctuary destroyed on Sept 1, 1999. The fires were fueled by an ongoing drought. Freak snow and rain in Chili ended the countries worst drought in a century on Sept 9, 1999, bringing the annual rainfall to above average for the year. Dust storms caused collisions on Oregon highways in Washington State on Sept 28, 1999, putting visibility at near zero near Portland. On Oct 11, 1999 Israel received its first rainfall in 7 months of drought. The Sea of Galilee had fallen to its lowest level in at least a century due to lack of rain. On October 29, 1999 Kuwait was hit by a freak hailstorm, rare in this desert nation which has not had significant rainfall in nearly a year. On Nov 22, 1999 Israel was experiencing its worst drought in nearly a century.