1. Alaska:

BITTERLY COLD CONDITIONS PREVAIL

Alaska remained in the grip of extremely cold Arctic air as temperatures averaged as much as 22°C below normal for the past week. On February 5, the mercury plummeted to -48°C at Denali National Park Headquarters, setting an all-time record low. Meanwhile, February record lows were established at Galena (-53°C on February 2) and at the University of Alaska (-47°C on February 5) [COLD - 2 to 3 weeks].

2. Northwestern United States and Southwestern Canada:

VERY WET WEATHER PERSISTS

Torrential rains (100 to 240 mm) drenched many locations along the Pacific Coast from northern Oregon northward through southern British Columbia while 50 to 100 mm soaked the remainder of the region. Since the beginning of the year, many coastal locations received 200 to 600 mm of precipitation, which is 50 to 200 mm more than normal [WET - 4 to 8 weeks].

3. Central and Eastern North America:

UNSEASONABLY MILD WEATHER DOMINATES

Numerous daily record highs were established across the central and eastern United States, and temperatures averaged 6°C to 10°C above normal from the Rockies eastward to the Ohio Valley while weekly departures ranged from +10°C to +12°C across southern Ontario. Temperatures across the remainder of the region were 3°C to 6°C higher than normal. The mercury climbed above the freezing mark as far north as northern Ontario, and highs reached 22°C as far north as Tulsa, OK (36°N) [WARM - 2 to 4 weeks].

4. Southern Texas:

DRY ANOMALY SPREADS SOUTHEASTWARD

Scanty precipitation was reported across southern Texas, resulting in short-term (January 1- February 6) moisture shortages of up to 60 mm [DRY - 4 to 8 weeks].

5. Great Lakes Region:

WETNESS EASES

Only light precipitation (generally less than 20 mm) fell from northern Illinois eastward through northern New York and southeastern Ontario, but moderate amounts (20 to locally 100 mm) accumulated across central Illinois and central Indiana. Precipitation amounts from January 1 through February 6 were as much as 150 mm above normal [WET - 5 to 8 weeks].

6. Northern South America:

A RELATIVELY DRY WEEK

Less than 30 mm of rain fell on eastern Colombia and eastern Venezuela while 20 to 60 mm (isolated higher amounts to 200 mm) were reported in northern Peru and extreme northwestern Brazil. Precipitation excesses since the beginning of the year ranged from 60 to 300 mm in Peru, but were generally less than 100 mm elsewhere [WET - 4 to 7 weeks].

7. The Middle East:

RAINS EASE DRYNESS

Rains of 10 to 40 mm fell across Israel, Lebanon, and western Syria while scattered rains of up to 10 mm dampened the interior portions of the Middle East. Since the start of January, the region has received 5 to 140 mm of precipitation which is 50 to 140 mm less than normal [DRY - 5 to 19 weeks].

8. Kenya and Tanzania:

STILL VERY DRY

Little or no rain fell on the region last week. Since the beginning of the year fewer than 20 mm of precipitation has fallen, resulting in moisture shortages of 50 to 100 mm [DRY - 4 to 19 weeks].

9. Mozambique, Malawi, and Eastern Zimbabwe:

ABUNDANT RAINS CONTINUE

Between 50 and 100 mm of rain soaked the region. Since January 1, precipitation has totaled 250 to 725 mm, which is 80 to 500 mm above normal [WET - 4 to 15 weeks].

10. Japan:

HEAVY SNOW IN WESTERN HONSHU; DRYNESS REMAINS ELSEWHERE

Precipitation totals for the week ranged from 20 to 90 mm across western Honshu as a mid-week storm brought heavy snow that triggered traffic accidents and disrupted air and rail travel, according to media reports. Meanwhile, precipitation of up to 10 mm was scattered across eastern Honshu while most of Kyushu and Shikoku received from 10 to 35 mm. Since the start of January, much of the region has received less than 130 mm of precipitation (50 to 124 mm less than normal) [DRY - 4 to 10 weeks].

11. China:

UNSEASONABLY WARM

Temperatures for the week averaged well above normal (+3°C to +7°C) across much of eastern China with temperatures reaching 29°C at Mengzi (23°N) and 23°C at Kunming (25°N) [WARM - 2 to 3 weeks].

12. Southeast Asia, Northern Indonesia, and the Philippines:

SCATTERED HEAVY RAINS KEEP REGION WET

Thunderstorms during the week brought heavy rains of 80 to 455 mm to parts of northern Sumatra, southern Thailand, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines. Since the start of December, the region has received 65 to 975 mm of precipitation which is 50 to 635 mm more than normal [WET - 4 to 24 weeks].

13. Southern Indonesia:

WETNESS REMAINS

Thunderstorms drenched the Lesser Sundas with 50 to 470 mm of rain. Since the first of January, the islands have accumulated precipitation surpluses of 225 to 460 mm [WET - 4 to 6 weeks].

14. Australia:

HEAT WAVE SHIFTS SOUTHWARD

Temperatures averaged 3°C to 7°C above normal across Tasmania, Victoria, and southeastern South Australia, with highs reaching 40°C as far south as Kyancutta (33°S) and approaching 35°C at Bushy Park (43°S) [WARM - 2 to 6 weeks].