The death toll across Colombia continues to rise after weeks of excessiverainfall has produced widespread flooding throughout the nation. The death tollstands at 136 lives while many more people remain missing.Government officials on Thursday declared a state of calamity in 28 of thenation's 32 states. More than 1.2 million people have been affected by theflooding across the nation.
More rain is likely over the next few days, which will aggravate the floodingcurrently ongoing across the nation.
Livestock and crops have been severely impacted by the ongoing flooding. Muchof Colombia's economy is supported by agriculture which is only causing moreproblems for the nation and it's people.
Colombia is the meeting point between two tropical air masses; one originatingfrom the Atlantic Ocean and one originating from the Pacific Ocean. While thisis the rain season for Colombia, this rain season has been enhanced by theonset of La Nina, which typically produces more rain than normal acrossnorthern South America.
Rain Sunday through Tuesday will be heaviest over the Andes mountains, whichspan much of western Colombia from Ecuador to northwest Venezuela, where thetwo tropical air masses collide. Numerous showers and thunderstorms willdevelop, any of which will produce daily rainfall totals in excess of 2-4inches.
By Rob Miller, Senior Meteorologist and updated by Eric Leister