1. Texas:

DRYNESS DEVELOPS

Little or no rain fell on Texas as unusually dry conditions overspread the central portion of the state. Precipitation shortfalls since the beginning of December were generally less than 50 mm, but reached 55 mm at Palacios and 57 mm at San Antonio [DRY - 5 to 6 weeks].

2. East-Central United States:

TORNADOES RIP ARKANSAS AND TENNESSEE; STRONG WINDS REPORTED ELSEWHERE

On January 17, an unseasonably early series of tornadoes claimed several lives in western and central Tennessee, and caused considerable property damage in northeastern Arkansas. Meanwhile, strong wind gusts and severe thunderstorms (associated with this weather system) raked the central and eastern states from Illinois eastward to southern new England, where gusts reached 138 kph at Buzzards bay, MA. In addition, a weak tornado was reported in Bedford County, PA on January 19. A second outbreak of twisters ravaged Arkansas and western Tennessee on January 21-22, resulting in additional loss of life (according to the Storm Prediction Center). In Kentucky, the mercury reached 25°C at Jackson and 23°C at London, establishing new all-time January record highs prior to the invasion of cold air that sparked the severe weather. Heavy rains (up to 150 mm) associated with the January 21-22 storm triggered flooding in parts of the Midwest, Southeast, and mid-Atlantic [Episodic Events].

3. Great Lakes and Upper St. Lawrence Valley:

HEAVY SNOWS RESULT IN SHORT-TERM MOISTURE SURPLUSES

Between 20 and 70 mm of precipitation (primarily heavy lake-effect snows) fell on the region, with locally heavier totals reaching as high as 115 mm. Since the beginning of the year, LaCrosse, WI and Rochester, MN have received 81 cm and 75 cm of snow, respectively [WET - 4 to 6 weeks].

4. Southwestern Asia and the Middle East:

CONTINUED WARM

Temperatures for the week again averaged well above normal (+3°C to +8°C) with temperatures reaching 15°C at Siirt, Turkey and 17°C at Abu Kamal, Syria [WARM - 4 to 13 weeks].

5. The Middle East:

RAINS EASE DRYNESS

Rains of 20 to 40 mm fell across Israel and Lebanon, while scattered rains of up to 20 mm dampened the interior portions of the Middle East. Since the start of December, the region has reported precipitation deficits of 50 to 280 mm [DRY - 9 to 17 weeks].

6. Kenya, Tanzania, and Northwestern Madagascar:

STILL VERY DRY

Little or no rain fell on Kenya while 20 to 50 mm dampened northwestern Madagascar and most of Tanzania. Farther southwest, up to 100 mm of rain fell on southwestern Tanzania. Precipitation shortfalls since December 1 ranged from 50 to 140 mm across Kenya and Tanzania, with larger deficits reported across southern Tanzania (150 to 230 mm) and northwestern Madagascar (140 to 310 mm) [DRY - 6 to 17 weeks].

7. Southeastern Africa and Southwestern Madagascar:

MORE VERY WET WEATHER

Most of the region received 20 to 70 mm of rain last week, with locally higher amounts in eastern Zimbabwe (up to 70 mm), southern Mozambique (up to 100 mm), and interior southwestern Madagascar (up to 150 mm). Some of the rains were fueled by Tropical Storm Alda. Since December 1, the region has received 330 to 810 mm of rain, which is 100 to 500 mm more than normal [WET - 4 to 13 weeks].

8. Northeastern Asia:

WARMTH DECREASES

Temperatures were 5°C or less above normal across far eastern Russia, a sharp contrast from the departures of up to +14°C the previous week [WARM - Ending at 3 to 5 weeks].

9. Japan:

DRYNESS REMAINS

Little or no rain fell on most of Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and Hokkaido as long-term moisture deficits continue to accumulate. Heavier amounts of up to 50 mm, however, were scattered along the central and northern coast of Honshu on the Sea of Japan. Since the start of December, much of the region has received 5 to 250 mm of precipitation which is 50 to 230 mm less than normal [DRY - 4 to 8 weeks].

10. Sumatra, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines:

PRECIPITATION SURPLUSES PERSIST

Little or no rain fell on the northern and southern sections of Vietnam, but 40 to 100 mm drenched the central portion of the country. Meanwhile, 40 to 150 mm of rain soaked east-central Sumatra, northern Borneo, and Malaysia, with up to 400 mm reported along the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia. Farther east, locally heavy rains (100 to 350 mm) were observed across the northern and central Philippines. Short-term (December 1 - January 23) moisture excesses of 90 to 370 mm resulted from precipitation totals of 100 to 1465 mm [WET - 4 to 9 weeks].

11. Southern Indonesia:

HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE

Torrential rains (70 to 200 mm) fell on the region last week. Between 450 and 1320 mm of rain has fallen on Java and the Lesser Sundas since December 1, yielding precipitation excesses of 90 to 530 mm [WET - 4 to 22 weeks].

12. Australia:

HEAT WAVE DEVELOPS

Temperatures were generally 1°C to 6°C above normal across central and southern Australia, with weekly departures reaching +7°C at a couple locations in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. The mercury soared above 40°C in the interior portions of Western Australia, southern Northern Territory, northern and central South Australia, southwestern Queensland, and northwestern New South Wales [WARM - 2 to 4 weeks].

13. Southwestern Pacific:

TROPICAL STORMS BUFFET REGION

Three tropical storms (Dani, Olinda, and Pete) swirled across the southwestern Pacific while a fourth system (16P) just began forming. According to press reports, Dani reached hurricane strength and battered the Fiji Islands [Episodic Events].