1. South-Central United States and Adjacent Mexico:
ABNORMALLY DRY WEATHER CONTINUES
Little or no rain fell on Texas, southeastern New Mexico, and northern
Mexico during the past week, although isolated showers may have yielded
as much as 50 mm of rain in central Texas. Since late August, moisture
shortages of 100 to 200 mm have accumulated across Texas, but mositure
deficits were generally less than 100 mm elsewhere [DRY - Up to 15 weeks].
2. Cuba and Southeastern United States:
HURRICANE IRENE RAKES CUBA AND FLORIDA, THREATENS EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA
Torrential rains and strong winds from minimal Hurricane Irene pummeled
Cuba, southern Florida, and the western Bahamas. Weekly rainfall totals
of 200 to 500 mm inundated southeastern Florida and the Keys. According
to the media, the storm claimed several lives and disrupted electrical
power to thousands of customers. The storm threatened eastern North Carolina,
but fortunately, Irene moved out to sea [Episodic Event]. Between 25 and
100 mm of rain fell on northern and central Florida, northern and central
Georgia, South Carolina, and the western half of North Carolina, with isolated
heavier amounts (up to 200 mm). Little or no rain was reported elsewhere.
Short-term (August 22 - October 16) moisture surpluses of 100 to 300 mm
prevailed across the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic, with excesses of 300
to 500 mm persisting in central and eastern North Carolina [WET - Up to
9 weeks].
3. East-Central South America:
HEAVY RAINS DRENCH EXTREME SOUTHERN BRAZIL, STILL VERY DRY ELSEWHERE
Heavy showers and thundershowers dumped 100 to 200 mm of rain on western
Santa Catarina and central Rio Grande do Sul while 50 to 100 mm drenched
the remainder of southern Brazil and adjacent portions of Uruguay. Little
or no precipitation fell on Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, and most
of Uruguay. Precipitation shortfalls during the past 8 weeks totaled 100
to 300 mm in western Uruguay, northeastern Argentina, the southeastern
half of Paraguay, and Parana, Brazil. Moisture deficits were less than
100 mm across the remainder of southern Brazil and most of Uruguay [DRY
- Up to 14 weeks].
4. Europe:
MORE FAVORABLY DRY WEATHER
Moderate precipitation (25 to 100 mm) was restricted to parts of the Baltic
States and the northern and southern sections of Poland. Little or no rain
was reported elsewhere. Moisture surpluses for the past 8 weeks were generally
less than 50 mm, except for excesses of 100 to 200 mm in southwestern England,
parts of western France, northern Portugal, and northwestern Spain [WET
- Ending at 9 weeks].
5. Central Africa:
TORRENTIAL RAINS REPORTED
Between 50 and 200 mm of rain drenched eastern Cameroon, northwestern Central
African Republic, and southwestern Chad during the past week [Episodic
Events].
6. Eastern Europe and Western Asia:
HIGH TEMPERATURES PERSIST
Temperatures again averaged 4°C to 9°C above normal across much
of eastern Russia, the Caucasus Region, and the central Asian Republics
of the former Soviet Union. Temperatures reached as high as 27°C at
Orenburg, Russia (52°N) and 30°C at Tamdy, Uzbekistan (42°N)
[WARM - Up to 4 weeks].
7. Japan:
LATE SEASON WARMTH RETURNS
Weekly departures of +4°C to +6°C were observed over Japan from
the southern Ryukyu Islands northward to northern Honshu, with temperatures
exceeding 30°C across the southern half of the main islands of the
archipelago [WARM - Up to 8 weeks].
8. East-Central China, Southern South Korea, and Extreme Western
Japan:
REMNANTS OF TYPHOON DAN BRING HEAVY RAIN
Typhoon Dan dissipated early in the week but moisture from the remains
dropped moderate to heavy rain (50 to 100 mm) on Jiangsu Province of China,
South Korea, and western Kyushu of Japan. According to press reports, the
typhoon left dozens dead in Fujian Province of southeastern China [Episodic
Event].
9. Australia:
EARLY-SEASON HEAT CONTINUES
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 6°C above normal across central and
eastern Australia, with weekly departures exceeding +8°C in central
Queensland. Highs exceeded 30°C throughout the country, except in Victoria,
Tasmania, southern New South Wales, and the immediate coast from Perth
around to Cairns. The mercury soared above 40°C in northeastern Northern
Territory and west-central Queensland [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].