1. North-Central United States and South-Central Canada:
COLD AIR DOMINATES REGION
A succession of cold Canadian air masses resulted in weekly departures
of -1°C to -4°C across the north-central United States while departures
approached -6°C in southern Manitoba. Subfreezing temperatures pushed
as far south as southern Kansas, and the mercury dropped below -10°C
in northeastern Montana and northwestern South Dakota [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].
2. Central and Southern United States:
RAINS BRING RELIEF, BUT STILL VERY DRY IN TEXAS
Abundant rains (25 to 100 mm) provided welcome relief to much of the Ohio
Valley and the South from Kentucky southward to the Gulf Coast. Farther
west, little or no rain fell on Texas as very dry weather continued. Moisture
deficits since August 15 ranged from 100 to 200 mm in southeastern Ohio,
from northern Mississippi eastward to northwestern Georgia, along the Gulf
Coast, and across most of Texas [DRY - Up to 14 weeks].
3. Eastern United States:
A RELATIVELY DRY WEEK
Little or no rain fell on the central and eastern portions of the Carolinas
and southeastern Virginia, allowing disaster recovery efforts to continue
in flooded regions. Fewer than 30 mm of rain were reported along the Appalachians,
but 25 to 50 mm dampened parts of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England.
Precipitation excesses since August 15 ranged from 100 to 300 mm in most
areas, and reaching as high as 477 mm at Raleigh-Durham, NC [WET - Up to
8 weeks].
4. Mexico:
HEAVY RAINS CAUSE SEVERE FLOODING
Torrential rains (up to 200 mm reported -- but reliable data are lacking),
fueled by the remnants of a tropical depression, inundated southern and
east-central Mexico. According to the media, flooding caused loss of life
and forced thousands from their homes [Episodic Event].
5. East-Central South America:
MORE VERY DRY WEATHER
Moderate showers brought 25 to 50 mm of rain to Rio Grande do Sul in extreme
southern Brazil, but fewer than 30 mm fell elsewhere. Since the middle
of August, moisture deficits of 100 to 250 mm accumulated across southern
and eastern Paraguay, western and central Uruguay, extreme northeastern
Argentina, and southern Brazil from Parana southward to northern Rio Grande
do Sul while short-term departures ranged from 50 to 100 mm elsewhere [DRY
- Up to 13 weeks].
6. Western and Northern Europe:
FAVORABLY DRY WEATHER REPORTED
Most of the region received less than 25 mm of rain, providing some relief
from the recent weeks of wet weather. Unfortunately, moderate to heavy
rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on the Alps, the western portions of the Benelux
Countries, much of southern Scandinavia, and exposed locations of Scotland,
Wales, and England. Short-term (August 15 - October 9) moisture surpluses
exceeded 330 mm in Switzerland, and reached 150 mm in parts of northern
Portugal, western and northern France, and southwestern Belgium [WET -
Up to 8 weeks].
7. Western Sahel:
VERY WET WEATHER CONTINUES
Between 50 and 100 mm of rain soaked eastern Burkina Faso and the northern
portions of Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, with locally heavier rains (up to
200 mm) in Benin. During the past 8 weeks, 200 to 620 mm of rain has fallen
on the region, yielding short-term surpluses of 100 to 300 mm [WET - Up
to 7 weeks].
8. Eastern Europe and Western Asia:
WARM ANOMALY SHIFTS EASTWARD
Temperatures were 6°C to 10°C above normal across western Siberia,
eastern European Russia, and northern Kazakhstan while weekly departures
of +3°C to +6°C prevailed across western European Russia, Turkey,
the Middle East, and the remainder of Kazakhstan. Highs soared up to 35°C
in parts of the Ukraine and southern European Russia, and the mercury topped
36°C in Syria. [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].
9. Northeastern China:
DRYNESS PERSISTS
Little or no rain fell on Manchuria as unusually dry conditions persisted.
Most locations received fewer than 100 mm since the middle of August, but
moisture deficits were less than 100 mm as precipitation normals began
their seasonal decline [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].
10. Southeastern China and Northern Philippines:
TYPHOON DAN BRINGS HEAVY RAINS
Torrential rains (200 to 500 mm), fueled by Typhoon Dan, inundated the
northern Philippines and southern Taiwan [Episodic Event]. Just after passing
the Philippines, the typhoon made an abrupt turn northward to southeastern
China, bringing strong winds and moderate to heavy rains (50 to 200 mm,
with locally higher amounts) before making landfall and dissipating in
Fujian province. Since August 15, more than 200 mm of rain has drenched
southeastern China, with some locations receiving over 500 mm, resulting
in precipitation excesses of 100 to 250 mm at most locations and reaching
as high as 360 mm in Guangzhou [WET - Up to 15 weeks].
11. Southeastern Australia:
UNUSUALLY WARM CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 6°C above normal across much of South
Australia, southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania,
with highs exceeding 30°C across the interior regions, and reaching
40°C in northeastern South Australia [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].
12. Victoria and Tasmania:
STILL VERY DRY
Little or no rain fell on Tasmania last week while most of Victoria received
fewer than 30 mm of precipitation. A notable exception was the 25 to 50
mm of rain reported in south-central Victoria, which provided limited relief.
Above normal temperatures (see item 11 above) exacerbated the dryness in
extreme southeastern Australia. Despite the prolonged dryness, precipitation
deficits since August 15 were generally less than 100 mm [DRY - Up to 8
weeks].