Weekly Global Climate Highlights

1. North-Central United States:

A RELATIVELY DRY WEEK Fewer than 30 mm of rain fell on the region, except for isolated showers of up to 100 mm in southwestern Minnesota. Since the beginning of July, the north-central states have received 100 to 500 mm of rain, resulting in precipitation excesses of 100 to 350 mm across parts of the Dakotas and western Minnesota [WET - 4 to 8 weeks].

2. Eastern and Southern United States:

RAINS BRING RELIEF TO MID-ATLANTIC, BUT VERY DRY ELSEWHERE Between 20 and 30 mm of rain, with up to 100 mm from locally heavy showers, fell on Louisiana, Mississippi, and western Alabama while very heavy rains (50 to 200 mm) drenched much of the mid-Atlantic. The remainder of the East and South received less than 50 mm. During July, August, and the first 11 days of September, moisture deficits of 100 to 300 mm have accumulated across the region. Even the parts of the mid-Atlantic, where showers, fueled by Hurricane Dennis, eliminated short-term anomalies, continued to endure long-term (6 to 14 months) moisture shortages [DRY - 4 to 25 weeks].

3. Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada:

VERY WARM WEATHER CONTINUES Temperatures averaged 6°C to 8°C above normal across the Maritime Provinces and southwestern Quebec while weekly departures of +3°C to +6°C covered New England, New York, eastern Ontario, and the remainder of Quebec. The mercury soared above 30°C as far north as 50°N in central Quebec and in the interior portions of New Brunswick [WARM - 2 to 3 weeks].

4. Central South America:

EARLY SEASON HEAT WAVE Temperatures were 3°C to 6°C above normal in most of southern Brazil and in the northern and central portions of Paraguay. Highs exceeded 40°C in northwestern Paraguay and adjacent parts of north-central Argentina while temperatures reached 30°C as far south as central Rio Grande do Sul state of extreme southern Brazil. The high temperatures exacerbated very dry conditions across east-central South America [WARM - 2 to 4 weeks].

5. East-Central South America:

MOISTURE DEFICITS PERSIST Abundant rains (50 to 100 mm) brought some relief to Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina states of extreme southern Brazil while up to 50 mm fell in Parana and adjacent parts of northeastern Argentina. Fewer than 30 mm were reported elsewhere. Precipitation shortfalls of 100 to 200 mm since July 1 covered northern Uruguay, southern Brazil, southeastern Paraguay, and extreme northeastern Argentina while deficits of 50 to 100 mm were common across central Paraguay [DRY - 4 to 9 weeks].

6. Europe and North-Central Africa:

WARMTH EASES IN AFRICA AND SOUTHERN EUROPE, BUT INTENSIFIES FURTHER NORTH Weekly departures of +3°C to +6°C prevailed across the Continent from northern Spain and the Alps northward to the Arctic Coast of Norway, with highs reaching 30°C in the Benelux Countries and northern Germany and climbing above 20°C across the entire region. Farther south, temperatures were within 3°C of normal, but readings exceeded 40°C across interior portions of Libya [WARM - 2 to 6 weeks].

7. Finland and the Baltics:

MORE VERY DRY WEATHER Little or no rain fell on Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, southern Finland, and adjacent parts of European Russia. Precipitation totals since the beginning of July were generally 50 to 200 mm, which is 50 to 200 mm below normal. The dryness was aggravated by unusually warm weather (see item above) [DRY - 4 to 10 weeks].

8. Western Siberia and North-Central Kazakhstan:

COLD ANOMALY DEVELOPS Weekly departures of -1°C to -5°C covered central Siberia and north-central Kazakhstan for the second week, with lows plummeting below freezing at a number of locations [COLD - 2 weeks].

9. Eastern Pakistan and Western India:

SCATTERED RAINS EASE DRYNESS Scattered light to moderate rain (10 to 30 mm) eased dryness in parts of eastern Pakistan and far western India. Little or no rain, however, fell on the remainder of the region. Since the start of July, 50 to 300 mm has fallen in much of the area which is 180 to 520 mm less than normal [DRY - 4 to 8 weeks].

10. Southern China:

MOISTURE SURPLUSES PERSIST Thunderstorms drenched parts of far northern Vietnam and southern China from Yunnan and eastern Tibet eastward to Guangdong and Fujian with moderate to heavy rain (25 to 100 mm). Since July 1st, 500 to 1000 mm has fallen across most of the region, which is 200 to 600 mm above normal [WET - 4 to 11 weeks].

11. Northeastern China:

RAINS BRING SOME RELIEF Moderate rains (20 to 40 mm) eased dryness across northern Shanxi and Hebei Provinces, but little or no rain fell across the region from central Nei Mongol and northern Ningxia eastward to northwestern Shanxi. Since the first of July, only 30 to 160 mm of precipitation has fallen in the region, yielding moisture deficits of 180 to 340 mm [DRY - 4 to 12 weeks].

12. East-Central Asia:

HEAT REMAINS Temperatures averaged 3°C to 6°C above normal across Japan's Hokkaido, southeastern Siberia, eastern Mongolia, northern North Korea, and northeastern China. Temperatures climbed to as high as 27°C at Juzno, Russia (47°N), 32°C at Sainshand, Mongolia (45°N), and 35°C at Shijiazhuang, China (38°N) [WARM - 2 to 3 weeks].

13. Eastern Australia:

WARM ANOMALY ABATES Weekly departures of +3°C to +7°C were restricted to central and southern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales while near normal temperatures prevailed elsewhere. Temperatures climbed above 30°C in central Queensland, but the mercury failed to reach 20°C in Tasmania, Victoria, and south-central New South Wales as the warm weather retreated northward [WARM - Ending at 2 to 3 weeks].