Weekly Global Climate Highlights

1. Central United States:

TORNADOES BATTER OKLAHOMA AND KANSAS; WET WEATHER PERSISTS On May 3, a deadly outbreak of tornadoes occurred in the southern Great Plains. Based on National Weather Service damage surveys, the most intense tornadoes struck near Bridge Creek and Moore, OK (F5 - winds in excess of 420 kph) and near Haysville and Wichita, KS (F4 - winds in excess of 330 kph). Additional severe weather occurred as the strong storm system moved east [Episodic Events]. Between 50 and 200 mm of rain soaked eastern Kansas, central and eastern Oklahoma, central and southwestern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, and western Tennessee while 25 to 50 mm were reported across the eastern half of the region. The western half received less than 30 mm, except for isolated amounts of 30 to 80 mm in mountainous locations. Moisture surpluses since the beginning of April ranged from 100 to 200 mm in eastern Colorado, northeastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, eastern Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and western Missouri [WET - 4 to 8 weeks].

2. South-Central United States:

VERY DRY CONDITIONS RETURN In sharp contrast to severe weather to the north, the western and central Gulf Coast received little or no rain. Fewer than 50 mm were measured during the past 4 weeks, yielding moisture deficits of 50 to 110 mm [DRY - 4 to 5 weeks].

3. Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada:

ABNORMALLY DRY WEATHER PREVAILS Between 20 and 30 mm of rain fell on western and central New England while 30 to 60 mm were observed in southeastern Massachusetts. Precipitation amounts dropped off rapidly to the north and east, with little or none in southern Quebec and eastern Maine. Meanwhile, 20 to 50 mm of rain dampened the central Appalachians, but the eastern Great Lakes and the mid-Atlantic reported fewer than 30 mm. Precipitation shortfalls since the beginning of March reached as high as 50 mm [DRY - 4 to 7 weeks].

4. Northwestern Africa and Southwestern Europe:

DRYNESS DEVELOPS Dry weather again prevailed over most of Morocco and southern Spain as the region experiences a possible early onset to the dry season [DRY - 6 to 7 weeks].

5. Southern Asia and Northeastern Africa:

LARGE WARM ANOMALY SHIFTS WESTWARD Temperatures again averaged well above normal (2°C to 6°C) over an area extending from India westward to the central Sahara. The mercury climbed as high as 40°C at Agedabia, Libya (31°N) and 44°C at Sargodha, Pakistan (32°N). In addition, a lack of rain again last week may indicate an early start to the dry season in southern Turkey and northern Iran [WARM - 2 to 7 weeks].

6. Central Sahel and Gulf of Guinea Coast:

TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES DIMINISH Weekly departures were generally less than +3°C across the region. The mercury soared above 40°C in southern Mali, northern Burkina Faso, and southern Niger while highs ranged from 30°C to 39°C elsewhere [WARM - 2 to 8 weeks].

7. Ethiopia:

DRY SPELL CONTINUES Little or no rain fell on most of Ethiopia, except for 20 to 100 mm at some western and southern locations. Moisture shortages since the beginning of March ranged from 50 to 200 mm [DRY - 5 to 12 weeks].

8. The Philippines and Southeastern Asia:

WETNESS CONTINUES AS TYPHOON LEO FADES During the early part of the week, the remnants of Typhoon Leo brought abundant rain (50 to 150 mm) to Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi provinces of China. Meanwhile, thunderstorms brought scattered moderate to heavy rain (20 to 225 mm) to the Philippines and the Indochina Peninsula. Since the first of March, precipitation totals (moisture excesses) reached as much as 525 mm (+290 mm) in southeastern China, 900 mm (+760 mm) in Vietnam, 965 mm (+570 mm) in Thailand, and 1570 mm (+700 mm) in the Philippines [WET - 4 to 16 weeks].

9. Australia:

STILL UNUSUALLY COOL Temperatures were generally 1°C to 4°C below normal across northern Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales. Subfreezing lows prevailed at the higher elevations of the Great Dividing Range [COLD - 2 to 7 weeks].

10. Southeastern Australia:

VERY DRY CONDITIONS DEVELOP Little or no rain fell on the region, except for scattered totals of 10 to 70 mm in Tasmania. As much as 100 mm of rain fell on Tasmania and Victoria during the past 4 weeks, but totals were 50 to 100 mm below normal [DRY - 4 to 5 weeks].