Weekly Global Climate Highlights

1. Northwestern United States and Southwestern British Columbia:

A RELATIVELY DRY WEEK Fewer than 50 mm of precipitation were reported across the region as favorable dry weather prevailed. Since the beginning of February, precipitation has totaled 140 to 1000 mm, which is 50 to 500 mm more than normal [WET - 6 to 14 weeks].

2. Western Great Lakes:

DRY ANOMALY DEVELOPS Little or no precipitation has fallen on the region during the past week, with moisture shortages since February 1 reaching as high as 70 mm [DRY - 4 to 6 weeks].

3. Central and Eastern United States:

STILL VERY COLD; WINTER STORMS AFFECT THE NORTHEAST AND THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS On March 14-15, a strong winter storm dumped up to 50 cm of snow on the Northeast, causing disruption of highway and air travel. A second storm system brought as much as 25 cm of snow to the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, but rain dominated the mid-Atlantic region during the weekend of March 20-21. Further north, however, as much as 35 cm of snow buried interior sections of Pennsylvania and New York while wind gusts exceeded 120 kph in parts of eastern New England [Episodic Events]. Temperatures were generally 1°C to 3°C below normal across the region, with subfreezing lows reported at most locations [COLD - 2 to 3 weeks].

4. Southeastern United States:

MODERATE PRECIPITATION REPORTED As much as 60 mm of precipitation dampened the region, providing limited relief from prolonged dryness. During February and the first 20 days of March, the Southeast received less than 130 mm of precipitation, resulting in shortfalls as large as 200 mm [DRY - 4 to 8 weeks].

5. Colombia and Venezuela:

STILL VERY WET Between 50 and 200 mm of rains soaked west-central Colombia while 10 to 50 mm were measured elsewhere. Since the beginning of February, 100 to 475 mm of rain have fallen on the region, resulting in precipitation excesses of 50 to 300 mm [WET - 4 to 13 weeks].

6. East-Central South America:

ABNORMALLY WARM CONDITIONS REINTENSIFY Temperatures averaged as much as 5°C above normal across southern Paraguay, extreme southern Brazil, Uruguay, and adjacent parts of northeastern Argentina, with highs of 30°C to 35°C reported at most locations [WARM - 4 to 6 weeks].

7. Southwestern Europe:

WARM ANOMALY DEVELOPS Temperatures again averaged 3°C to 6°C above normal across southern France and northeastern Spain, with the mercury reaching 24°C at Nimes, France (44°N) [WARM - 2 weeks].

8. Middle East:

RAIN EASES DRYNESS Light to moderate rain (up to 30 mm) dampened southern Turkey and the coasts of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria while rains of up to 10 mm were scattered across the interior portions of the Middle East and northwestern Iran. Since February 1, however, most of the region has received less than 80 mm, allowing deficits of 50 to 155 mm to accumulate [DRY - 4 to 5 weeks].

9. Western Africa:

WARM ANOMALY DEVELOPS Temperatures were generally 1°C to 3°C above normal across the region, but weekly departures of +3°C to +5°C were reported at a few locations in southern Niger. The mercury soared above 40°C across most of southern Mali, Burkina Faso, and southern Niger while highs were generally between 30°C and 39°C elsewhere [WARM - 2 to 3 weeks].

10. Southern Africa:

UNUSUALLY WARM WEATHER CONTINUES Weekly departures of +3°C to +4°C dominated western and central South Africa, but were within 3°C of normal elsewhere. Highs exceeded 30° at most locations and reached 38°C at Oudtshoorn, South Africa (34°S) [WARM - 2 to 6 weeks].

11. Central Asia:

COLD AIR SETTLES ACROSS REGION Abnormally cold air (temperatures 4°C to 11°C below normal) covered much of southern Siberia, northern Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and extreme northern China again last week. Temperatures plunged to -43°C as far south as Toko, Russia (56°N) [COLD - 2 to 3 weeks].

12. Southeastern Asia:

STILL VERY WARM Temperatures were 3°C to 7°C above normal across a large area covering South Korea, southern Japan, southeastern China, Taiwan, the Indochina Peninsula, and the Philippines, with highs reaching 20°C as far north as Pohang, Korea (36°N) and Aikawa, Japan (38°N) [WARM - 1 to 9 weeks].

13. Southeastern Asia:

RAINS RELIEVE DRYNESS IN CHINA Light to moderate rain (5 to 70 mm) fell from eastern Sichuan and Hubei southward to Guangdong and Guangxi. Little or no rain, however, fell over the remainder of southeastern China and the northern Indochina Peninsula. Since the start of February, most of the region has received less than 100 mm of rain, allowing moisture deficits of 50 to 150 mm to accumulate [DRY - 4 to 11 weeks].

14. The Philippines:

MOISTURE SURPLUSES PERSIST Scattered thunderstorms brought heavy rain (80 to 180 mm) to parts of the central Philippines. Since the beginning of February, as much as 1100 mm of rain have fallen on the islands, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 55 to 435 mm [WET - 5 to 8 weeks].

15. Eastern Australia:

HIGH TEMPERATURES PERSIST Temperatures were as much as 6°C above normal across the region, with the mercury soaring above 30°C as far south as Lismore (29°S), and approaching 39°C at Newman (23°S) [WARM - 2 to 4 weeks].