1. North-Central United States and South-Central Canada:
MORE SEVERE WEATHER AND ABUNDANT RAINS
Severe thunderstorms brought hail and strong winds to Arkansas while tornadoes
ravaged parts of Oklahoma, Illinois, and the Dakotas [Episodic Events].
Between 25 and 100 mm of rain soaked the central states from Kansas and
Nebraska eastward through Indiana, with up to 115 mm drenching the eastern
portions of Kansas and Nebraska [WET - 4 to 12 weeks].
2. Eastern United States:
EXTREMELY DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST
Little or no rain fell across most of the region. Notable exceptions include
northwestern Georgia (up to 90 mm), western South Carolina (up to 50 mm),
and southern Pennsylvania (up to 40 mm). Moisture shortages since the beginning
of April ranged from 50 to 100 mm, with the largest deficits reported in
Georgia and the mid-Atlantic. In addition, the 12-month period (June 1998
through May 1999) ranked among the 10 driest such periods on a statewide
basis in Maryland (2nd), Virginia (3rd), Georgia (5th), and Delaware (8th),
and on a regional basis across the Southeast (10th) [DRY - 4 to 11 weeks].
3. Europe and Northwestern Africa:
STILL ABNORMALLY WARM
Temperatures were +3°C to 7°C above normal from eastern Spain northeastward
to Slovakia and Hungary, but weekly departures were within 3°C of normal
across the remainder of Europe. Highs exceeded 30°C as far north as
northeastern Germany and west-central Poland. Farther south, temperatures
averaged 5°C to 11°C above normal throughout northwestern Africa
along with maximum readings of 40°C to 46°C across the interior
portions of Algeria and Tunisia [WARM - 2 to 11 weeks].
4. Northeastern Mediterranean:
EARLY ONSET OF THE DRY SEASON
Little or no precipitation fell on Greece and Turkey this past week. Because
of declining normals at this time of the year, short-term (April 1 - June
5) moisture deficits were less than 100 mm [DRY - 5 to 9 weeks].
5. East-Central Africa:
PRECIPITATION DEFICITS REMAIN
Little or no rain fell on Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, northwestern Tanzania,
and central Kenya while up to 60 mm dampened north-central Tanzania and
western Kenya. Precipitation shortfalls since the beginning of April ranged
from 50 to 200 mm [DRY - 4 to 7 weeks].
6. Central Asian Russia:
ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES PERSIST
Weekly departures of +3°C to +7°C prevailed across western Siberia
east of the Urals, with highs exceeding 30°C in southwestern Siberia,
and reaching 20°C above the Arctic Circle [WARM - 3 to 6 weeks].
7. Southeastern Asian Russia:
UNUSUALLY COLD CONDITIONS DEVELOP
In sharp contrast to western Siberia, temperatures were 3°C to 5°C
below normal across east-central Siberia, with the mercury plummeting below
freezing across most of the region [COLD - 2 weeks].
8. East-Central China:
A RELATIVELY DRY WEEK
Fewer than 30 mm of rain were reported across the region, providing some
relief from the very wet conditions; however, moisture surpluses of 50
to 370 mm have accumulated since the beginning of April [WET - Ending at
5 to 11 weeks].
9. Southeastern Asia:
MORE HEAVY RAINS
Torrential rains (100 to 500 mm) drenched southern Vietnam while moderate
to heavy precipitation (25 to 100 mm) soaked Thailand and peninsular Malaysia.
Since the beginning of April, rainfall totals of 300 to 1530 mm have pushed
short-term moisture excesses to the 100 to 845 mm range [WET - 4 to 20
weeks].
10. Eastern Australia:
UNUSUALLY WARM WEATHER CONTINUES
Temperatures were 1°C to 6°C above normal across most of the region,
with weekly departures of +6°C to +12°C reported in central and
southeastern Queensland. The mercury soared above 30°C across most
of the Northern Territory and western Queensland, and approached 35°C
at Curtin, NT (18°S) [WARM - 2 to 5 weeks].