So extensive were the wet-season mudslides that in some years more mud and rock fell back into the canal than had been taken out in the first place.

ECONOMIST: The Panama Canal

The first race of the season was three laps around the Vazon circuit in wet conditions on Sunday 16 March.

BBC: Osborn takes first 2008 road race

During the wet season, from November until May, the chimpanzees spend much of their time in the trees and can be difficult to find.

BBC: Search the

The first Test, meanwhile, will take place at Brisbane's Gabba on Thursday, where wet conditions in the build-up have ensured low scores and plenty of results in early season domestic games.

BBC: Ashes: Mike Hussey primed for Gabba Test after century

Such a fall may matter little for states such as Kerala in the south, which gets a monthly drenching of 50 centimetres (20 inches) during the wet season.

ECONOMIST: India��s climate: Monsoon, or later | The