1. North-Central United States and South-Central Canada:
FAVORABLY DRY WEATHER CONTINUES
Fewer than 30 mm of rain fell on the northern Great Plains, providing additional
relief from prolonged wetness. Short-term (August 1 - September 18) moisture
surpluses of 50 to 200 mm persisted in the Dakotas and Minnesota, but dropped
below 50 mm elsewhere [WET - Ending at 4 to 9 weeks].
2. Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys:
MOISTURE DEFICITS DOMINATE
Little or no rain fell from the Mississippi River Valley eastward to the
Appalachians while 10 to 50 mm dampened parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas,
Missouri, and southeastern Ontario. Most of the region has received less
than 100 mm of precipitation since the beginning of August, yielding moisture
deficits of 100 to 200 mm [DRY - 4 to 11 weeks].
3. Eastern United States:
HURRICANE FLOYD RAKES THE EAST, BRINGS DROUGHT RELIEF
Hurricane Floyd marched up the East Coast last week, bringing strong winds
(gusts exceeding 200 kph before landfall) and torrential rains (storm totals
of 100 to 500 mm). Major flooding affected many areas from North Carolina
northeastward to New Jersey, with many areas remaining unreachable at this
time. According to the media, the storm resulted in the largest peacetime
evacuation ever (over 2 million individuals), claimed dozens of lives,
stalled transportation from Florida through Maine, and disrupted electrical
power for millions of customers [Episodic Event].
4. Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada:
HIGH TEMPERATURES PERSIST
Temperatures were 3°C to 6°C above normal across the Maritime Provinces
of Canada, but weekly means were within 3°C of normal across New England
and upstate New York. The mercury climbed above 20°C as far north as
east-central Labrador and central Quebec, but readings remained below 30°C
across the entire area [WARM - 2 to 5 weeks].
5. Western Venezuela:
WET ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Moderate to heavy showers (25 to locally 200 mm) fell on western Venezuela
for the third consecutive week. As much as 555 mm of rain has fallen on
the country since August 1, resulting in moisture excesses of 100 to 320
mm [WET - 4 to 7 weeks].
6. Northeastern Argentina:
MORE DRY WEATHER
Little or no rain was observed across northeastern Argentina again last
week as unfavorably dry weather persisted. Since the beginning of August,
fewer than 100 mm of rain has fallen on the region, resulting in moisture
shortages of 50 to 100 mm [DRY - 5 to 10 weeks].
7. Western Uruguay and Adjacent Northeastern Argentina:
WARM ANOMALY DIMINISHES
Temperatures were within 3°C of normal in western Uruguay and adjacent
parts of northeastern Argentina, except for weekly departures of +3°C
to +4°C in Santa Fe province. The mercury soared above 30°C as
far south as the southern portions of Santa Fe and Cordoba [WARM - Ending
at 2 to 5 weeks].
8. Europe:
STILL UNUSUALLY WARM
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 6°C above normal from eastern France
eastward through Slovakia and from the Alps northward through Norway and
western Sweden. Highs exceeded 20°C as far north as extreme northern
Norway, with readings above 30°C across parts of western Germany and
eastern portions of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Meanwhile,
near normal temperatures prevailed across the British Isles, western and
central France, and western Poland [WARM - 2 to 7 weeks].
9. Central and Northeastern Europe:
VERY DRY WEATHER CONTINUES
Little or no rain fell on the region last week, except for light to moderate
showers (20 and 50 mm) that dampened scattered portions of western Poland,
the Czech Republic, and western Austria. Since the beginning of August,
precipitation shortfalls of 100 to 200 mm accumulated across Austria and
Hungary while moisture deficits of 50 to 100 mm prevailed elsewhere [DRY
- 4 to 11 weeks].
10. Northeastern Africa and Southwestern Asia:
HIGH TEMPERATURES PERSIST
Weekly departures of +2°C to +4°C again covered eastern Libya eastward
to southern Iraq and the Persian Gulf while departures of +4°C to +8°C
spread from Iran northeastward across Kazakhstan. Temperatures climbed
to as high as 42°C at Celinograd, Kazakhstan (51°N) [WARM - 2 to
7 weeks].
11. Eastern Pakistan and Western India:
DRYNESS REMAINS
Little or no rain fell from northern Pakistan and Kashmir southward across
India and Sri Lanka. Scattered showers (20 to 70 mm), however, provided
some relief in western Madhya Pradesh. Since the start of August, 25 to
400 mm has fallen in much of the region, which is 150 to 460 mm less than
normal [DRY - 4 to 9 weeks].
12. Southern China:
TYPHOON YORK SLAMS INTO SOUTHEASTERN CHINA
Typhoon York pelted Hong Kong and Guangdong with torrential rain (100 to
250 mm) and high winds, taking several lives and causing damage to buildings
(according to press reports). Meanwhile, scattered moderate to heavy thunderstorms
(25 to 120 mm) drenched the remainder of the area from southeastern Tibet,
northeastern India, and northern Burma eastward to the Pacific Ocean while
Tropical Storm Ann brought moderate to heavy rain (50 to 100 mm) to parts
of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong. Since August 1st, 500 to 1000 mm has fallen
across most of the region, which is 200 to 600 mm above normal [WET - 4
to 12 weeks].
13. Southwestern Japan:
TROPICAL STORM ZIA BATTERS SOUTHERN JAPAN
Tropical Storm Zia drenched southern Japan with heavy to torrential rain
(100 to 300 mm). According to media accounts, the rain triggered flooding
and landslides that killed a number of people [Episodic Event].
14. Northeastern China:
RAINS BRING SOME RELIEF
Moderate rains (20 to 60 mm) eased dryness across parts of China form northern
Sichuan and southeastern Qinghai northeastward to Hebei. Little or no rain,
however, fell from Liaoning northeastward to Heilongjiang. Since the first
of August, only 20 to 120 mm of precipitation has fallen in much of the
region, yielding moisture deficits of 120 to 180 mm [DRY - 4 to 13 weeks].
15. East-Central Asia:
HEAT ABATES
Temperatures averaged 1°C to 4°C above normal across Japan, the
Korean Peninsula, and much of eastern China, bringing some relief from
the high temperatures of previous weeks [WARM - 2 to 4 weeks].