1. California and Nevada:
MORE UNUSUALLY MILD WEATHER
Weekly departures of +1°C to +4°C dominated southern Nevada, northwestern
Arizona, and the southern and central portions of California, with highs
soaring to 26°C at Los Angeles (34°N) and reaching 20°C across
the San Francisco Bay area. Subfreezing lows were restricted to the higher
elevations and interior deserts [WARM - Up to 5 weeks].
2. Midwestern United States:
DRY ANOMALY REDEVELOPS
Little or no rain fell on the Corn Belt, the lower Great Lakes region,
and the Ohio Valley as abnormally dry conditions returned. Short-term (8-week)
totals were generally less than 100 mm, with moisture deficits of 50 to
75 mm. Somewhat more favorable conditions, with precipitation totals approaching
150 mm, prevailed in parts of Kentucky and along the western slopes of
the Appalachians [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].
3. Eastern United States:
WINTER STORM GLAZES PIEDMONT AND MID-ATLANTIC AS VERY COLD WEATHER
CONTINUES
A winter storm disrupted travel to and from the Super Bowl and across much
of the Atlantic Seaboard from the Carolinas northward through New England
during the weekend (January 28 - 30, 2000) and early in the week [Episodic
Event]. Arctic air, characterized by weekly departures of -2°C to -5°C,
dominated the East and South. Lows dropped below freezing along the central
Gulf Coast and into northern Florida, and the mercury plummeted below -10°C
as far south as London, KY (37°N) and Washington Dulles International
Airport, VA (39°N) [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].
4. Northern Scandinavia:
WETNESS DEVELOPS
Abundant precipitation (25 to 50 mm) kept northern Scandinavia wet. Since
mid-December, 110 to 350 mm has fallen over the region, allowing mositure
excesses of 50 to 170 mm to accumulate [WET - Up to 5 weeks].
5. Western and Southern Europe:
DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE
Despite moderate to heavy precipitation in the Alps (up to 100 mm), most
of the remainder of the area was dry. A good portion of Europe from southern
Great Britain southeastward to eastern Turkey has received less than 100
mm of rain since the middle of December, yielding moisture shortages of
50 to 300 mm [DRY - Up to 9 weeks].
6. Western Sahel:
HIGH TEMPERATURES PERSIST
Temperatures were as much as 4°C above normal, with weekly highs ranging
from 30°C to 40°C across Senegal, the Gambia, and the southern
portions of Mali and Mauritania [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].
7. Southern Namibia and Northwestern South Africa:
UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS SHIFT SOUTHWESTWARD, EASE ELSEWHERE
Weekly departures of -1°C to -4°C prevailed across the region,
with lows dropping below 20°C throughout the entire area, and approaching
2°C as far north as 32°S [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].
8. Southeastern Zimbabwe, Southern Mozambique, and Northeastern South
Africa:
TORRENTIAL RAINS REPORTED
Heavy thunderstorms dumped more than 200 mm of rain on southeastern Zimbabwe
while 50 to 200 mm soaked adjacent areas. Weekly totals dropped off sharply
to the south, west, and north. During the last 8 weeks, 280 to 670 mm of
rain have fallen on the region, yielding moisture excesses of 100 to 330
mm [WET - Up to 13 weeks].
9. East-Central Asia:
COLD ANOMALY REMAINS
Weekly departures of -3°C to -4°C again prevailed over south-central
Mongolia while departures of -3°C to -8°C dominated China
from central Nei Mongol and Liaoning southward to Hunan and Jiangxi. Lows
plummeted to -24°C as far south as Chengde, China (41°N) [COLD
- Up to 6 weeks].
10. Western Australia:
UNUSUALLY COOL CONDITIONS MODERATE
Temperatures were still 1°C to 2°C below normal across interior
portions of Western Australia, with lows dropping below 20°C as far
north as 20°S. Readings, however, climbed above 30°C across the
region, and reached 40°C at locations north of 20°S [COLD - Ending
at 15 weeks].