Weekly Global Climate Highlights

1. North-Central United States:

PRECIPITATION SURPLUSES DIMINISH A third consecutive week of favorably dry weather, characterized by weekly totals of less than 25 mm, reduced short-term (August 1 - September 25) moisture surpluses to less than 100 mm at most locations, although scattered moisture excesses of 100 to 150 mm persisted in parts of Nebraska and the Dakotas [WET - Ended at 5 to 10 weeks].

2. Central United States:

ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS DOMINATE Light to moderate rains (10 to 50 mm) were restricted to northeastern Illinois, west-central Michigan, eastern Ohio, the central portions of Tennessee and Kentucky, and northern Alabama while little or none was reported elsewhere. Most locations reported less than 100 mm of rain since the beginning of August, resulting in moisture shortages of 50 to 210 mm [DRY - 4 to 12 weeks].

3. Central and Southeastern United States:

COOL AIR TRAVERSES COUNTRY Unusually cool Canadian air brought an early taste of autumn to the central and southeastern United States. The cold snap resulted in weekly departures of -1°C to -4°C while subfreezing temperatures occurred in Manhattan, KS and Elkins, WV. Highs failed to reach 30°C in Virginia, West Virginia, the Carolinas, the eastern halves of Kentucky and Tennessee, and the northern and eastern sections of Georgia [COLD - 2 weeks].

4. New England and Southeastern Canada:

STILL UNUSUALLY WARM Weekly departures of +3°C to +6°C prevailed across the Canadian Maritime provinces, but temperatures were within 3°C of normal in New England and Quebec. Highs were generally in the 20°C to 29°C range [WARM - 2 to 6 weeks].

5. Northwestern Venezuela:

WET WEATHER PERSISTS Since the beginning of August, 100 to 500 mm of rain have fallen on the region, yielding moisture excesses of 100 to 200 mm [WET - 4 to 8 weeks].

6. Central Bolivia:

ABNORMALLY COLD CONDITIONS DEVELOP Temperatures were as much as 5°C below normal in central Bolivia, where the mercury plummeted as low as -13°C at Cahrana (18°S) [COLD - 2 to 4 weeks].

7. Central South America:

MORE DRY WEATHER Little or no rain fell on northeastern Argentina, northern Uruguay, southern and central Paraguay, and extreme southern Brazil last week. Short-term (August 1 - September 25) precipitation shortfalls ranged from 50 mm to 200 mm [DRY - 4 to 11 weeks].

8. Central and Southern South America:

UNUSUALLY WARM WEATHER RETURNS Temperatures averaged 3°C to 7°C above normal through northern and central Argentina, Paraguay, and adjacent parts of Uruguay and southern Brazil, with the highest departures reported in Mendoza and San Juan provinces of west-central Argentina. The mercury soared to 37°C as far south as Santiago del Estero (28°S) and exceeded 30°C at most locations [WARM - 2 to 6 weeks].

9. Europe:

HIGH TEMPERATURES PERSIST The warm anomaly continued from Iceland and southern Scandinavia southeastward to the central Mediterranean and the Balkans. Temperatures averaged 5°C to 7°C above normal over most of the area, with temperatures reaching as high as 31°C at Loznica, Yugoslavia (45°N) [WARM - 2 to 8 weeks].

10. Western Europe:

UNSEASONABLY HEAVY RAINS Storms brought heavy rains (50 to 160 mm) to western Europe from Ireland and Wales southward into the Iberian Peninsula. The weekly amounts were generally 5 to 10 times the normal received, with accumulations since the beginning of August totaling over 300 mm at locations in Spain and over 400 mm in parts of Ireland. [WET - 4 to 6 weeks].

11. Northern and Eastern Europe:

DRYNESS CONTINUES Little or no rain fell on much of northern Europe from western Scandinavia eastward into the Ukraine and northwestern Russia. Moderate rains (25 to 60 mm), however, brought some relief to parts of southern Scandinavia and the Baltic States [DRY - 4 to 12 weeks].

12. South-Central Asia:

WARM ANOMALY ABATES Temperatures were only 1°C to 3°C above normal in most areas, but weekly departures reached +5°C in eastern Iran. Highs ranged from 30°C to 39°C across the region [WARM - Ending at 2 to 8 weeks].

13. Northeastern and Central China:

DRY WEATHER PREVAILS Showers were widely scattered across central China from northern Sichuan and southeastern Qinghai northeastward to Liaoning while no rain fell over Manchuria. Only 40 to 130 mm of precipitation has fallen in much of the region since the start of August, yielding moisture deficits of 140 to 200 mm [DRY - 4 to 14 weeks].

14. Japan and South Korea:

WARM ANOMALY CONTINUES Weekly departures of +1°C to +4°C again covered the southern Korean Peninsula while departures of +4°C to +6°C were observed over Japan. Temperatures exceeded 30°C across the main islands of Japan and climbed as high as 35°C at Yonago in southern Honshu (35°N) [WARM - 3 to 5 weeks].

15. Southern China, Southern Japan, and South Korea:

TYPHOON BART PUMMELS JAPAN, TROPICAL STORM CAM STRIKES CHINA Typhoon Bart moved northward over the Ryukyu Islands, across Kyushu and Shikoku, and into southern Honshu with torrential rains (100 to 340 mm) and high winds. According to media accounts, the rain triggered flooding and landslides, resulting in several deaths. Bart also inundated the southern Korean peninsula with torrential downpours (170 to 320 mm) [Episodic Event]. Since the start of August, 500 to 1650 mm of rain has fallen on southern Japan and South Korea, which is 200 to 850 mm above normal. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Cam drenched Hong Kong and adjacent Guangdong with moderate to heavy rain (25 to 90 mm) [Episodic Event]. The remainder of southeastern China received little or no rain, providing relief from the wetness of previous weeks [WET - 4 to 13 weeks].