1. Central and Northeastern United States:

MORE WINTER STORMS

A wintry mixture of sleet and freezing rain glazed southern Missouri with up to 5 cm of ice late in the week. Meanwhile, freezing rain affected the mid-Atlantic region and central Appalachians before changing to rain, with up to 50 mm falling in the New York City metropolitan area. Fortunately, the heavy rains flushed away most of the ice. Farther north and west, up to 55 cm of snow paralyzed Chicago, IL while as much as 40 cm blanketed a swath from east-central Missouri and southern Iowa northeastward through eastern Michigan and northern Indiana. Despite the relatively heavy snow and rain of the past week, much of the Northeast reported precipitation deficits of 50 to 130 mm since the beginning of December. Bitterly cold Arctic air dominated the region, resulting in weekly departures of -2°C to -5°C, and lows plummeted below -20°C as far south as Kirksville, MO (40°N) [Episodic Events].

2. Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada:

SHORT-TERM DRYNESS REMAINS DESPITE INCREASED STORMINESS

Generally less than 30 mm of precipitation fell on the region, even though winter storms buffeted the Midwest, mid-Atlantic, and southern New England. Precipitation shortfalls for December and the first 2 days of January were generally less than 130 mm. [DRY - 4 to 20 weeks].

3. Northern South America and Southern Caribbean:

STILL VERY WET

Moderate rains (20 to 80 mm) fell on southern Caribbean Islands, extreme western Venezuela, and central Colombia, but fewer than 20 mm were observed elsewhere. Since December 1, the region has received 80 to 440 mm of rain, which is 60 to 355 mm more than normal [WET - 4 to 8 weeks].

4. Iberian Peninsula and Northwestern Africa:

Storms brought moderate to heavy precipitation (20 to 110 mm) across western Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, relieving long-term dryness. Since the start of December, however, precipitation totals across the region were 50 to 200 mm below normal [DRY - Ending at 5 to 14 weeks].

5. Southeastern Europe:

COLD AIR REMAINS ENTRENCHED

Weekly temperatures again averaged 3°C to 12°C below normal as bitterly cold weather settled over the region. The mercury plunged as low as -23°C at Sibiu, Romania (46°N) and -19°C at Skopje, Macedonia (42°N) [COLD - 5 to 9 weeks].

6. Southeastern Europe and Turkey:

RAINS ABATE

Light to moderate rain (10 to 30 mm) fell across southern Greece, Cyprus, and southern Turkey, decreasing long-term moisture surpluses. Since the first of December, the area has accumulated 50 to 165 mm more rainfall than normal [WET - Ending at 5 to 10 weeks].

7. The Middle East:

Rains of 10 to 25 mm fell along the eastern Mediterranean seaboard of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, easing long-term moisture deficits. Meanwhile, scattered rains of up to 10 mm dampened the interior portions of the Middle East. Since the start of December, much of the region still reported moisture deficits of 50 to 165 mm [DRY - Ending at 6 to 14 weeks].

8.The Middle East and Southwestern Asia:

WARMTH REMAINS

Weekly temperature departures for the week again ranged from +4°C to +8°C, with temperatures reaching 31°C at Jiwani, Pakistan (25°N), 30°C at Doha, Qatar (25°N), and 26°C at Ahwaz, Iran (31°N) [WARM - 3 to 10 weeks].

9. Kenya and Tanzania:

MOISTURE SHORTAGES PERSIST

Little or no precipitation fell on the region again last week, except for 10 to 30 mm along the coasts of southeastern Kenya and northeastern Tanzania, and up to 50 mm in south-central Tanzania. Less than 70 mm of rain has fallen on Kenya and Tanzania since the beginning of December, resulting in 33-day (December 1, 1998 - January 2, 1999) precipitation deficits of 50 to 155 mm [DRY - 4 to 14 weeks].

10. Southeastern Africa:

WET WEATHER CONTINUES

Torrential rains (70 to 200 mm) drenched eastern Zimbabwe and parts of northeastern Africa along 30°E last week while moderate precipitation 30 to 70 mm fell on the remainder of the region. Precipitation totals for December and the beginning of January ranged from 140 to 440 mm, resulting in moisture surpluses of 60 to 260 mm [WET - 4 to 10 weeks].

11. Eastern Asia:

UNSEASONABLY MILD CONDITIONS RETURN

Temperatures averaged up to 6°C above normal across the region, with locally higher departures of +7°C to +8°C in northern Burma and northeastern China. The mercury climbed above freezing as far north as Hami, China (43°N), and reached 28°C at Jingyuan, China (37°N) [WARM - 2 to 11 weeks].

12. Northern Australia and Southern Indonesia:

RAINS DIMINISH, BUT PRECIPITATION SURPLUSES REMAIN

Locally heavy showers (up to 200 mm) soaked coastal sections of north-central Australia, Java, and the Lesser Sundas while light to moderate rains (10 to 50 mm) fell on the remainder of the region. Despite the typically high precipitation normals for this time of the year, short-term (December 1 - January 2) precipitation surpluses persisted across coastal northern Australia (100 to 505 mm), Celebes and the Lesser Sundas (90 to 380 mm), eastern Java (80 to 375 mm), and Irian Jaya (60 to 345 mm) [WET - Ending at 4 to 19 weeks].