Typhoon

Typhoon Rananim hit East China¡¯s Zhejiang Province in August 2004, resulting in 164 deaths and an economic loss of 18.128 billion yuan (US$2.18 billion). Typhoon Rananim brought hurricanes of force 12 on the Beaufort scale when it landed. It is recorded as the strongest typhoon to strike the mainland since 1956 by the China Meteorological Administration.

Drought

In Autumn of 2004, large areas of South China were hit by a serious drought, which covered many provinces of the middle and lower Yangtze River and elsewhere in southern China. The precipitation measured at some local meteorological stations set minimum records. The widespread drought has an impact on crop growth and planting, and led to a shortage of drinking water.

Thunderstorms and hailstorm

In May 2005, South China¡¯s Guizhou Province was hit by thunderstorms accompanied by hailstorms. The disaster brought landslides and mud slides in some places, causing 28 deaths and a loss of 425 million yuan

(US$51.2 million) in Guizhou Province. Similar disasters afflicted Sichuan, Anhui and Liaoning provinces, Chongqing Municipality and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the same time.

Flood

A total number of 117 people, a majority of them school children in Shalan Town of Northeast China¡¯s Heilongjiang Province, were killed by a devastating flood on June 10, 2005. The flood resulted from extremely heavy precipitation in the upper reaches of the Shalan River, which rapidly turned into a strong mud torrent in the mountainous area.

Since mid-June, six provinces in South China were devastated by serious floods, followed by landslides and mud slides. The torrential rains over several days were responsible for the disastrous flooding. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the flood has already resulted in 164 deaths with 68 missing and economic losses of 17.39 billion yuan (US$2.09 billion). It is estimated that about 21.474 million people were affected by this calamity.

The statistics also show that in 2005 a total of 607 people died from the flood and other related disasters.

Heat

A rare heatwave gripped 13 provinces and regions across the country this July when some cities in the nation¡¯s east, central and southwest regions registered scorching temperatures of 38-40 centigrade. In Shanghai, the ¡°Plum Rain¡± season only lasted for 12 days with abnormally low rainfall. The temperature quickly hit 39 degrees centigrade following the ¡°Plum Rain¡± season, which has never happened in the past 60 years, according to one meteorological expert. Power shortages have also become a problem in many cities due to the scorching climate.

Southern Asian countries India, Pakistan, Bengal and Nepal have also been hit by the heatwave, resulting in nearly 500 deaths. The temperature in some areas has reached 45-50 degrees centigrade. At the end of June, many European countries also encountered extreme heat and drought. Temperatures have hit new record highs in northwest France. Portugal and Spain have been afflicted by drought, which has been quite rare over the past 60 years.

Tornado

A tornado hit the US states of Indiana and Wisconsin on June 12, causing damage to 22 houses and an economic loss of US$3.6 million.