1. Southwestern Alaska:
FRIGID CONDITIONS PERSIST
Temperatures were 3°C to 8°C below normal across the southwestern
quadrant of Alaska, with lows plummeting below -20°C across the southwestern
interior. The mercury remained below freezing, except for the Alaska Peninsula
and the Aleutian Islands. Temperatures moderated dramatically across the
remainder of Alaska [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].
2. Northwestern Venezuela:
HEAVY RAINS ABATE
Between 25 and 50 mm of rain fell on saturated sections of northwestern
Venezuela, allowing 8-week moistures surpluses to remain above 200 mm [WET
- Up to 7 weeks].
3. Central South America:
MOSTLY DRY WEATHER CONTINUES
Scattered light to moderate showers yielded 25 to 100 mm of rain in southeastern
Bolivia, central Paraguay, and extreme north-central Argentina while fewer
than 25 mm were reported elsewhere. Short-term (8-week) moisture deficits
were generally in the 100 to 225 mm range [DRY - Up to 16 weeks].
4. Europe:
STORMS BATTER EUROPE
Strong storms swept across France and into central Europe at week's end
with high winds (gusting up to 170 kph) and heavy precipitation (30 to
100 mm). According to press reports, the storms disrupted travel and left
over 50 people dead (Episodic Events). Heavy rains (50 to 100 mm) continued
to drench Ireland, the western portions of Great Britain, and southwestern
Scandinavia. As much as 480 mm has fallen in the last 8 weeks, exceeding
normals by 100 to 190 mm [WET - Up 6 to weeks].
5. Middle East:
DRYNESS DEVELOPS
Dry weather continued to prevail from the eastern Mediterranean coast eastward
across Iran. Since the beginning of November, less than 100 mm has fallen
over much of the area, resulting in mositure shortages of 140 to 375 mm
[DRY - Up to 9 weeks].
6. Southern Africa:
STILL VERY WET
Moderate rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on southern Botswana and the northern
and eastern portions of South Africa, with heavy precipitation (100 to
200 mm) reported at scattered locations in southwestern Northern Transvaal,
western Eastern Transvaal, northwestern North Cape, central East Cape,
and southern Kwazulu-Natal. During the last 2 months, most areas received
100 to 500 mm of rain, yielding mositure excesses of up to 200 mm, with
the highest departures reported in central and north-central Namibia and
northeastern South Africa [WET - Up to 7 weeks].
7. Southern South Africa:
UNUSUALLY HIGH TEMPERATURES REPORTED
Weekly departures ranged from +3°C to +6°C along the southern coast
of South Africa. The mercury soared above 30°C at many coastal locations
[WARM - Up to 4 weeks].
8. Western and Central Siberia:
UNSEASONABLY MILD CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Temperatures averaged 6°C to 15°C above normal across the region,
with highs climbing above the freezing mark across southwestern Siberia
as far north as Verhne-Imbatskoe (63°N), and reaching -10°C throughout
western Siberia [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].
9. East-Central Asia:
DRYNESS PREVAILS
Little or no rain fell in China from Hubei and Hunan eastward to Jiangsu
and Zhejiang. Likewise, scanty precipitation (less than 10 mm) was reported
on the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku, and extreme southern Honshu of Japan.
As little as 65 mm has fallen over parts the region since the end of October,
yielding moisture deficits of 140 mm [DRY - Up to 8 weeks].
10. Southeastern Asia:
DRY CONDITIONS EASE WETNESS
Dry weather prevailed over southern Vietnam, providing relief from the
heavy rains that inundated the country in previous weeks. Heavy rain (50
to 200 mm), however, kept parts of extreme southern Thailand, Malaysia,
and northern Sumatra wet. Amounts of 325 to 1850 mm have drenched
much of the region during the last 8 weeks, resulting in precipitation
surpluses of 180 to 840 mm [WET - Up to 12 weeks].
11. Australia:
ABNORMALLY COOL CONDITIONS DOMINATE EASTERN AUSTRALIA, ABATE
ELSEWHERE
Temperatures were 3°C to 6°C below normal across New South Wales
and the southern half of Queensland while readings were within 3°C
of normal elsewhere. Subfreezing lows were restricted to a few higher elevations
in the Great Dividing Range while the mercury dropped below 20°C as
far north as southern Northern Territory and central Queensland. Highs
generally remained below 30°C across coastal southeastern Queensland;
central, southern, and eastern New South Wales; and most of Victoria [COLD
- Up to 9 weeks].