1. Alaska:
BITTERLY COLD WEATHER SPREADS
Temperatures averaged 6°C to 14°C below normal across Alaska as
bitterly cold conditions persisted in the southwest portions and spread
throughout the state. Lows plummeted below -20°C at most locations,
and reached -50°C at McGrath (63°N) and Nenana (65°N) [COLD
- Up to 5 weeks].
2. California:
DEFICIENT WINTER RAINS REPORTED
Little or no rain has been reported across southern and central California
since the middle of November. Precipitation shortfalls during the last
8 weeks ranged from 50 to locally 200 mm [DRY - Up to 6 weeks]
3. Northern Colombia and Western Venezuela:
SHORT-TERM SURPLUSES REMAIN
Fewer than 25 mm of rain fell on the region, except for a few scattered
showers, which yielded 25 to 50 mm of precipitation. Short-term (8-week)
moisture excesses ranged from 100 to 200 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].
4. East-Central South America:
MORE VERY DRY WEATHER
Except for scattered light to moderate showers (25 to 50 mm), little or
no rain fell on Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Misiones,
Corrientes, Entre Rios, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and most of Uruguay.
Short-term moisture deficits remained in the 100 to 205 mm range [DRY -
Up to 17 weeks].
5. Europe:
A SECOND STORM BATTERS EUROPE
Another powerful storm swept across France eastward into southeastern Europe
early in the week with strong wind gusts (up to 200 kph) and moderate to
heavy precipitation (30 to 100 mm). According to press reports, the storm
disrupted travel, caused power outages, uprooted trees, damaged buildings,
and claimed several lives [Episodic Event]. Heavy rains (50 to 100 mm)
also continued to drench parts of Ireland, Great Britain, and southwestern
Scandinavia. As much as 700 mm as fallen in the last 8 weeks, with surpluses
reaching 270 mm at some locations [WET - Up 7 to weeks].
6. Middle East:
DRYNESS PREVAILS
Dry weather continued from southeastern Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean
coast eastward across Iran. For the past 8 weeks, fewer than 175 mm of
rain has fallen on Turkey, yielding deficits of 150 to 200. Meanwhile,
the remainder of the area received less than 100 mm of precipitation with
8-week shortfalls of 140 to 300 mm [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].
7. South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana:
RAINS ABATE ACROSS NAMIBIA AND WESTERN SOUTH AFRICA, PERSIST
ELSEWHERE
Little or no rain fell on Namibia, southwestern Botswana, and western South
Africa. Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rains (20 to 100 mm) fell on the remainder
of the region, with heavier amounts (100 to 200 mm) soaking portions of
eastern South Africa. Precipitation during the last 8 weeks ranged from
25 mm in the far western sections of Namibia and South Africa to more than
200 mm in eastern South Africa and southern Mozambique. Scattered locations
reported 8-week precipitation surpluses of 100 to 200 mm [WET - Up to 8
weeks].
8. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Madagascar:
HIGH TEMPERATURES PERSIST
Although weekly departures were less than +3°C throughout the region,
the mercury soared above 30°C at most locations, and exceeded 40°C
in extreme western South Africa [WARM - Up to 5 weeks].
9. East-Central Asia:
DRYNESS CONTINUES
Little or no rain fell on southeastern China from Hubei and Hunan eastward
to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Scanty rainfall was also observed in Japan on
the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku, and southern Honshu. As little as 30 mm
has fallen over parts of the region during the last 8 weeks, yielding moisture
deficits of 150 mm [DRY - Up to 9 weeks].
10. Southeastern Asia:
UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS REPORTED
Temperatures were 2°C to 4°C below normal across most of the area
last week, with the mercury dropping to 2°C at Chiang Rai, Thailand
[COLD - Up to 3 weeks].
11. Australia:
STILL UNSEASONABLY COOL
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 7°C below normal, with the largest
weekly departures (-6°C to -7°C) reported in southern Queensland
and north-central New South Wales. The mercury fell to 7°C at Canberra
(35°S), but lows were generally above 10°C [COLD - Up to 10 weeks].