1. Alaska:

BITTER COLD EASES

Temperatures averaged 3°C to 18°C below normal across the state, with the mercury dipping to -52°C at Bettles (67°N). Although temperatures remained well below normal, a moderating trend has begun in most areas [COLD - Ending at 3 to 4 weeks].

2. West Coasts of United States and Canada:

VERY WET CONDITIONS EXPAND ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST

Very heavy precipitation (50 to locally 250 mm) fell on much of western and central California while lesser amounts accumulated in western Washington (10 to locally 130 mm) and western Oregon (10 to locally 80 mm). Meanwhile, up to 400 mm of precipitation drenched windward sections of Vancouver Island. Short-term (January 1- February 13) moisture surpluses of 100 to 255 mm were limited to southwestern British Columbia, western Washington, and northwestern Oregon [WET - 4 to 9 weeks].

3. South-Central United States:

DRYNESS EXPANDS ALONG GULF COAST

Little or no precipitation fell on southeastern Texas and along the Central Gulf Coast from Galveston Island eastward through extreme western Florida. Since the beginning of the year, moisture deficits of 50 to 115 mm accumulated across the region [DRY - 5 to 9 weeks].

4. Central and Eastern North America:

UNSEASONABLY MILD WEATHER PERSISTS

Despite a brief intrusion of Arctic air, temperatures averaged 6°C to 13°C above normal from northern Ontario southward to the Gulf Coast and from the central Great Plains eastward to the Appalachians while weekly means were 3°C to 6°C above normal elsewhere. Highs soared to 30°C as far north as San Angelo, TX (31°N), and reached 20°C at Milwaukee, WI (43°N). In addition, many daily-record highs were reported across the United States, and monthly record highs established this past week included North Platte, NE (24.4°C on February 10), Indianapolis, IN (23.9°C on February 11), and Columbus, OH (23.3°C on February 11). Meanwhile, the mercury climbed above freezing as far north as 60°N [WARM - 2 to 5 weeks].

5. Central United States:

MOISTURE SURPLUSES REMAIN

Although fewer than 60 mm of precipitation fell on the region, moisture surpluses since January 1 ranged from 50 to 150 mm [WET - 4 to 9 weeks].

6. Northern South America:

WET WEATHER CONTINUES IN PERU, DIMINISHES FURTHER NORTH

Between 50 and 150 mm of rains soaked northeastern Peru and adjacent parts of western Brazil while 10 to 50 mm fell on the remainder of Peru. Little or no rain was observed in eastern Venezuela while reliable data were lacking elsewhere. Since January 1, moisture surpluses reached as high as 150 mm in Colombia, 200 mm in Venezuela, and 360 mm in Peru [WET - 5 to 8 weeks].

7. East-Central South America:

UNUSUALLY COOL CONDITIONS DEVELOP

Temperatures were 3°C to 5°C below normal across Uruguay and adjacent parts of northeastern Argentina and southern Brazil. The mercury slipped to 3°C at Tandil, Argentina (37°S), and fell below 10°C as far north as Paso de Los Toros, Uruguay (33°S) [COLD - 2 to 3 weeks].

8. Central Mediterranean:

COLD AIR PLUNGES SOUTHWARD

Temperatures for the week again averaged below normal (-2°C to -9°C) across the region, with temperatures dipping down to -19°C at Rolle Pass, Italy (12°N), and to -6°C as far south as Setif, Algeria (5°N) [COLD - 2 to 3 weeks].

9. Southeastern Africa:

HEAVY RAINS ABATE

Torrential rains (100 to 250 mm) were limited to southwestern Madagascar and the coast of Mozambique. Elsewhere, weekly totals ranged from 10 to 50 mm. Since the beginning of the year, between 100 and 670 mm of rain have fallen, yielding precipitation excesses of 50 to 550 mm [WET - Ending at 5 to 16 weeks].

10. China:

WARM AIR SPREADS SOUTHWARD

Temperatures for the week continued to average above normal (+3°C to +7°C) across the eastern half of China with temperatures reaching 29°C at Longzhou (22°N) and at Bose (25°N). Weekly temperatures were also well above normal (+3°C to +11°C) across Burma and the northern portions of Thailand and Vietnam with maximum temperatures of 36°C reported at Mandalay, Burma and Mae Sariang, Thailand [WARM -2 to 4 weeks].

11. Japan:

PRECIPITATION EASES DRYNESS

Precipitation totals for the week ranged from 10 to 30 mm across eastern Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku while western Honshu received from 20 to 35 mm. Since the start of January, much of the region has received less than 160 mm of precipitation, which is up to 130 mm less than normal [DRY - 5 to 11 weeks].

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

SCATTERED HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE

Thunderstorms during the week again brought heavy rains of 85 to 325 mm to parts of northern Sumatra, southern Thailand, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines. Since the start of January, extreme Southeast Asia and northern Indonesia have received up to 950 mm of precipitation, which is up to 650 mm more than normal, while the southern Philippines have accumulated up to 1200 mm of precipitation, yielding precipitation excesses of up to 680 mm. According to the media, significant flooding in the Philippines and landslides in Malaysian Borneo resulted in many fatalities [WET - 4 to 24 weeks].

13. Southern Indonesia and Western Australia:

WETNESS REMAINS

Thunderstorms soaked much of the Lesser Sundas with 75 to 150 mm of rain while 50 to 160 mm drenched the central coast of western Australia. Since the first of January, precipitation surpluses have accumulated up to 770 mm in the southern Indonesian islands and up to 250 mm along the western Australian coast [WET - 4 to 7 weeks].

14. Eastern Australia:

WETNESS DEVELOPS

Heavy thunderstorms this past week saturated the coasts of eastern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland with 50 to 175 mm of rain. Since the first of January, the region has accumulated precipitation surpluses of up to 390 mm. Significant flooding, with loss of life, has afflicted southeastern Queensland, according to press reports [WET - 4 to 7 weeks].

15. Southeastern Australia:

WARM ANOMALY ENDING

Temperatures for the week averaged above normal (+ 1°C to +3°C) across only southern Victoria and Tasmania as temperatures diminished from the high values of previous weeks [WARM - Ending at 4 to 7 weeks].