1. California:
UNSEASONABLE COOL WEATHER MODERATES
Temperatures were generally within 3°C of normal this past week [COLD
- Ending at 3 to 5 weeks].
2. Central United States:
UNUSUAL WETNESS DEVELOPS
Between 30 and 100 mm of rain fell on northeastern Colorado and southern
Nebraska while 10 to 30 mm were reported across Kansas and the remainders
of Colorado and Nebraska. Since the beginning of July, moisture surpluses
of 100 to 200 mm were reported in northeastern Colorado, but surpluses
were less than 50 mm elsewhere [WET - 4 weeks].
3. Southern and Eastern United States:
DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO SPREAD
Moderate rains (20 to 100 mm) fell on the eastern United States from central
Georgia northeastward through the mid-Atlantic to New Hampshire and Vermont
while little or no rain was reported across the South from the High Plains
of Texas eastward and northeastward to the Appalachians. Hurricane Bret
was poised to deliver heavy rains to southern Texas as the week ended.
Significant short-term (July 1 to August 21) moisture shortages of 100
to 200 mm dominated the South and East from eastern portions of Texas and
Oklahoma eastward to the Atlantic Seaboard, with little relief provided
by the recent wet weather across the eastern United States. Meanwhile,
precipitation deficits were generally less than 100 mm across the western
and central sections of Texas and Oklahoma [DRY - 4 to 22 weeks].
4. South America:
DRY ANOMALY EXPANDS
Little or no rain fell on Bolivia and Paraguay for the 6th consecutive
week. In addition, scanty rains were reported in northeastern Argentina
for the 4th week in a row. Despite the very dry weather, short-term (July
1 - August 21) moisture deficits remained below 100 mm. Unusually dry conditions
may have also spread into Brazil and Peru, where reliable data are lacking
[DRY - 4 to 6 weeks].
5. Bolivia and Adjacent Parts of Brazil:
UNUSUALLY COLD CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Weekly departures of -3°C to -5°C covered most of the region with
temperatures as much as 7°C below normal in southern and eastern Bolivia.
The mercury reached -4°C as far north as Camiri, Bolivia (20°S)
[COLD - 2 to 3 weeks].
6. Northwestern Europe:
ABNORMAL DRYNESS CONTINUES IN MOST AREAS
Although 20 to 100 mm of rain fell on the southern portions of Norway and
Sweden and on northern Denmark, the remainder of Scandinavia received little
or none. Since the beginning of July, moisture shortages of 100 to 150
mm have accumulated across extreme eastern Iceland, Scotland, and southern
Norway while moisture deficits were less than 100 mm elsewhere [DRY - 4
to 7 weeks].
7. Finland and Northeastern Sweden:
CHILLY WEATHER REPORTED
Temperatures were 3°C to 5°C below normal across most of Finland
and the extreme northeastern corner of Sweden, with locally larger negative
departures reaching -8°C. Lows dropped below freezing at many locations
in Sweden and Finland north of 63°N [COLD - 2 to 3 weeks].
8. Southern Europe, Southwestern Asia, and Northern Africa:
STILL UNUSUALLY HOT
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 7°C above normal across southern Italy,
the Balkans, western Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, northern and
western Egypt, northern Libya, and the northern half of Algeria, with weekly
departures reaching +9°C at Mecheria, Algeria (35°N). The mercury
soared above 40°C across the northern Sahara Desert, through most of
the Middle East, and in southwestern and southeastern sections of Turkey
while highs ranged from 30°C to 39°C elsewhere. [WARM - 2 to 12
weeks].
9. East-Central Siberia:
COLD ANOMALY SHIFTS EASTWARD
Unseasonably cold air covering central Siberia the previous week moved
eastward into eastern Siberia. Weekly departures of -3°C to -5°C
covered most of the region, with lows dropping to 1°C at Aldan, Russia
(59°N) [COLD - 2 to 3 weeks].
10. Japan:
HEAT ABATES
Temperatures averaged 1°C to 3°C above normal across Japan's Hokkaido
and northern Honshu Islands and Russia's southern Sakhalin Island,
a decrease from the abnormally high temperatures of previous weeks [WARM
- Ending at 3 to 9 weeks].
11. Korean Peninsula and Southern Japan:
HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE
Heavy to torrential rain (50 to 285 mm) again soaked much of Japan's Kyushu,
Shikoku, and southern Honshu Islands while moderate to heavy rain (20 to
100 mm) drenched the southern Korean Peninsula. Since the beginning of
July, moisture excesses of 180 to 900 mm accumulated across South Korea
and surpluses of 140 to 800 mm accumulated across southern Japan [WET -
4 to 8 weeks].
12. Central and Eastern China and Adjacent Parts of Mongolia:
RAINS WIDELY SCATTERED
Light or no rain fell over China from Ningxia and eastern Gansu Provinces
eastward to southern Shandong and northeastward to extreme eastern Mongolia
and west-central Manchuria. Isolated heavy rains (50 to 100 mm), however,
brought relief to dryness in parts of Henan and Shandong. Since July 1st,
only 25 to 270 mm has fallen over much the region, yielding moisture deficits
of 140 to 240 mm [DRY - 4 to 9 weeks].
13. Southeastern China:
WETNESS DIMINISHES IN MOST AREAS, BUT TYPHOON SAM BRINGS HEAVY
RAIN TO HONG KONG
Only light to moderate rains (less than 30 mm) fell on most of southeastern
China's Provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, and southern Jiangxi, providing
relief from the severe wetness plaguing the region. Since July 1st, however,
400 to 1600 mm has drenched much of the region which is 130 to 850 mm more
than normal. At the end of the week, Typhoon Sam began lashing Hong Kong,
Guangdong, and Fujian with strong, gusty winds and heavy rain [WET - 4
to 7 weeks].