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Deadly Rains in the U.S. Midwest
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Published March 21, 2008
An early spring storm system advanced out of the Southern Plains in mid-March 2008, causing widespread flooding. Strong southerly winds developed ahead of an area of low pressure located over the Southern High Plains and drew moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico across Texas and Louisiana. This warm, moist air collided with a frontal boundary, producing repeated bouts of thunderstorms and heavy rain from central Texas through Oklahoma and into Kansas and Missouri.
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Unusually Intense Rain Floods Southern Africa
Published January 29, 2008
Heavier-than-normal rainfall in January 2008 brought flooding to parts of southern Africa. The hardest hit areas included Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique.
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La Nina Rainfall Patterns
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Published January 23, 2008
La Niña, the counterpart to El Niño, alters rainfall patterns over the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. La Niña develops when stronger-than-average trade winds push the warm surface waters of the equatorial Pacific west. Since cold water rises to replace the warm water, La Niña leaves the eastern and central Pacific Ocean much cooler than normal, while the western Pacific is much warmer than normal. These anomalies in sea surface temperature are mirrored in rainfall patterns, with warmer-than-normal temperatures resulting in enhanced rainfall. In general, La Niña brings unusually heavy rain to the West Pacific, Indonesia, parts of Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.
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