1. Southwestern Alaska:
EARLY-SEASON COLD ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Weekly departures of -3°C to -8°C dominated Alaska from Fairbanks
southwestward to the Aleutian Islands. The mercury plummeted to -24°C
at Summit (63.3°N) and dropped below -20°C at several interior
locations [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].
2. Central United States:
VERY DRY CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Little or no precipitation fell on Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, southern
Minnesota, and southeastern South Dakota as unusually dry weather persisted.
During the past 8 weeks, mositure shortages of 100 to 200 mm accumulated
in southeastern Nebraska, northern Iowa, and southwestern Wisconsin, with
short-term deficits of 50 to 100 mm elsewhere [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].
3. The Carolinas:
DRY WEATHER PREVAILS
Little or no rain fell on the Carolinas, providing favorable weather for
flood recovery operations. Despite the dry week, short-term (8-week) moistures
excesses of 100 to 480 mm persisted across the region [WET - Up to 11 weeks].
4. Central America:
TROPICAL STORM KATRINA AFFECTS REGION
Satellite images indicate that Tropical Storm Katrina has affected Honduras,
Nicaragua, and Costa Rica; however, reliable surface data are lacking [Episodic
Event].
5. Argentina and Chile:
HIGH TEMPERATURES PERSIST
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 6°C above normal across eastern Argentina
and parts of Uruguay while temperatures were within 3°C of normal elsewhere.
Highs exceeded 30°C as far south as east-central Chubut and dominated
the interior from northern Chubut northward to Paraguay [WARM - Up to 3
weeks].
6. East-Central South America:
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS IN ARGENTINA, STILL DRY ELSEWHERE
Abundant rains (25 to 100 mm, with locally higher amounts) brought some
relief to northern Argentina from southeastern Chubut northwestward through
Cordoba. Light rains (10 to 25 mm) were recorded across southeastern Paraguay
and the remainder of northeastern Argentina while little or none fell on
most of Uruguay and extreme southern Brazil. Moisture shortages during
the past 8 weeks ranged from 100 to 200 mm in northeastern Argentina, extreme
western Uruguay, and most of Paraguay while moisture deficits of 50 to
100 mm prevailed elsewhere. [DRY - Up to 16 weeks].
7. South-Central Europe and Northern Africa:
WARM ANOMALY CONTINUES
Weekly departures of +4°C to +8°C again covered much of southern
France, western Italy, northeastern Spain, and northern Africa form north-central
Algeria eastward to western Egypt. Temperatures reached as high as 28°C
at San Sebastian, Spain (43°N) and 37°C at Palmero, Italy (38°N)
[WARM - Up to 6 weeks].
8. Ethiopia:
FAVORABLY DRY WEATHER REPORTED
Little or no rain was reported across Ethiopia, except for 10 to 25 mm
(with isolated higher amounts) in the southwestern and south-central portions
of the country. Short-term (8-week) moisture surpluses were generally 50
to 100 mm, with an isolated higher excess of 275 mm at Gondar in northwestern
Ethiopia [WET - Ending at 7 weeks].
9. Central Asia:
HIGH TEMPERATURES SHIFT SOUTHWARD
Temperatures continued to average 2°C to 6°C above normal in central
Asia from southeastern Kazakhstan southward to central Pakistan and northeastern
India [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].
10. India:
SECOND CYCLONE BATTERS EASTERN INDIA
Tropical Cyclone 05B (the second such storm in two weeks) brought heavy
rains and strong winds to Orissa and West Bengal. According to press reports,
this cyclone also caused a number of deaths and additional damage to homes
and crops [Episodic Event].
11. Southeastern Asia:
TORRENTIAL RAINS CAUSE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE
Heavy rain (up to 450 mm) triggered flooding from the northern Malay Peninsula
to the Vietnam Coast. According to media accounts, the flooding claimed
several dozen lives and caused considerable damage to homes and plantations
in Thailand and Vietnam [Episodic Event].