VIDEO: Fiji Wades after Feet of Rain
By Jim Andrews, Senior Meteorologist
Jan 24, 2012; 11:02 AM ET
Torrential rain has washed over western Viti Levu, the “big island” of Fiji, triggering flooding.
Two people were killed and more than 700 others were in temporary shelters, the Australian ABC news said on Tuesday.
The cloudbursts struck the area of Nadi, swelling the Nadi River to overflowing.
Meteorological data seen by AccuWeather.com show that, at the Nadi Airport, rainfall was about 23 inches within 48 hours ended Tuesday.
The Southern Hemisphere’s summer is the rainy season in Fiji, even on the drier western side of Viti Levu. At the Nadi Airport, about 13 inches of rain normally falls throughout the month of January.
The trigger for the extreme rainfall may have been weak low pressure together with onshore, upslope wind flow bringing sodden tropical air against the island’s hills.
Video credit: wlam028/YouTube
Image extracted from YouTube video.
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