1. United States and Southern Canada:
UNUSUALLY MILD CONDITIONS OVERSPREAD REGION
Temperatures were 6°C to 10°C above normal from the Continental
Divide eastward across the High Plains to the Missouri River while departures
of +3°C to +6°C dominated the remainder of the Plains and most
of the Intermountain West. Highs exceeded 20°C as far north as southern
Alberta, with readings reaching 30°C in southeastern California, southern
and central Arizona, southern and north-central Texas, and central Arkansas.
The unusually high temperatures exacerbated dryness across the central
United States (see Item 2 below) [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].
2. Central and Eastern United States and Southeastern Canada:
DRY ANOMALY EXPANDS AND STRENGTHENS
Little or no rain fell on most of the United States, Ontario, and southwestern
Quebec. Precipitation totals of 10 to 50 mm were scattered across the southeastern
United States, New England, and the lower St. Lawrence River Valley. Short-term
(8-week) moisture shortages of 100 to 200 mm covered southeastern Texas,
the lower and middle Mississippi River Valleys, and parts of the Northeast
while deficits of 50 to 100 mm prevailed across the Great Plains and the
Corn Belt [DRY - Up to 11 weeks].
3. Caribbean:
HURRICANE LENNY BRINGS STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS
An unusually late-season hurricane traversed the Caribbean Sea. Hurricane
Lenny formed early in the week southeast of the Yucatan Peninsula, and
by mid-week (November 17) the hurricane was packing winds of 240 kph with
gusts approaching 300 kph. In addition to the lateness of the event, the
eastward movement of the hurricane was highly unusual. Torrential rains
(100 to 500 mm) inundated islands throughout the eastern Caribbean, but
lesser amounts (25 to 100 mm) were reported further west. According to
the media, several deaths and considerable damage resulted from the storm
[Episodic Event].
4. Central South America:
WARMER WEATHER PREVAILS
Temperatures were within 3°C of normal across Bolivia and adjacent
parts of western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and northern Chile [COLD
- Ended at 4 weeks].
5. Northern Argentina:
PRECIPITATION SURPLUSES REMAIN
Moderate to heavy rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on northern Argentina from
Mendoza and San Luis northward to southeastern Catamarca and western
Santiago Del Estero. Totals were below 25 mm elsewhere. Since late September,
100 to 675 mm of rain have fallen on the region, resulting in precipitation
surpluses of 100 to 510 mm [WET - Up to 7 weeks].
6. East-Central South America:
STILL VERY DRY
Little or no rain fell on Uruguay and adjacent parts of northeastern Argentina
during the past week. During the past 8 weeks, precipitation totaled less
than 150 mm, yielding moisture deficits of 100 to 200 mm [DRY - Up to 11
weeks].
7. Northeastern Europe:
COLD WEATHER DISPLACES MILD CONDITIONS
Temperatures averaged 6°C to 10°C below normal across much of northern
European Russia, with lows plummeting below -20°C at most locations
north of 58°N, and reaching -50°C at Verhojansk (68°N). Meanwhile,
weekly departures of -3°C to -6°C covered the remainder of the
region, with lows dropping below -10°C across most of Russia, Belarus,
and the northern Ukraine [COLD - 2 weeks].
8. Southern Asia:
WARMTH ABATES
Weekly departures of +3°C to +5°C were limited to northwestern
India and scattered locations, with near-normal temperatures prevailing
over the remainder of the region [WARM - Up to 10 weeks].
9. Southeastern Asia:
HEAVY RAINS ALONG VIETNAMESE COAST, DRY ELSEWHERE
Heavy rains (50 to 100 mm) fell along the coast of southern Vietnam while
favorably dry weather prevailed across the remainder of the region. During
the last 8 weeks, however, 300 to 2000 mm has drenched much of the region,
resulting in surpluses of 140 to 800 mm for the period [WET - Up to 7 weeks].
10. Australia:
COLD ANOMALY CONTINUES
Weekly departures of -3°C to -5°C continued across most of Australia,
with lows dropping to 2°C at Canberra (35°S) [COLD
- Up to 4 weeks].
11. Northeastern Australia:
WETNESS SHIFTS EASTWARD
Unseasonably moderate to heavy rains (25 to 85 mm) soaked much of Queensland.
The rainfall was 5 to 8 times the normal amount that falls during this
period [WET - Up to 7 weeks].
12. Southeastern Australia:
DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST
No rain was reported as dry conditions continued in Tasmania and the southeastern
corner of the continent [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].