1. Hawaiian Islands:
PRECIPITATION DEFICITS DOMINATE ISLANDS
Little or no rain fell on the archipelago again last week as abnormally
dry weather continued. During the last 8 weeks, leeward stations reported
fewer than 45 mm of rain while windward locations received as much as 220
mm, allowing short-term moisture shortages of 80 to 310 mm to accumulate
[DRY - Up to 7 weeks].
2. Western United States:
MODERATE PRECIPITATION CONTINUES
Between 25 and 100 mm of precipitation dampened southwestern Washington,
northeastern Oregon, north-central California, and the California coast
from San Francisco southward, with amounts exceeding 100 mm in the central
Sierra Nevada Range. Short-term (8-week) precipitation totaled more than
200 mm along the coast and the windward slopes of the mountains while 50
to 200 mm accumulated elsewhere. Short-term moisture surpluses ranged from
100 to 250 mm in California, and from 50 to 100 mm elsewhere [WET - Up
to 8 weeks].
3. Eastern and Central North America:
HIGH TEMPERATURES CONTINUE, BUT COOLER CONDITIONS ARE MOVING
EASTWARD
Temperatures were 6°C to 10°C above normal across the northern
tier of states from eastern North Dakota and eastern Nebraska eastward
to the Atlantic Seaboard, and from southeastern Saskatchewan eastward to
western Quebec while weekly departures of +3°C to +6°C dominated
the remainder of the region. The mercury soared above 30°C in parts
of Mexico, the South and Southeast, and as far north as central Virginia
while readings exceeded 20°C in much of southern Canada. Temperatures
remained above freezing across most of the southeastern United States from
northern Alabama and northeastern Mississippi southward to the Gulf Coast
and eastward through South Carolina and Florida. Cooler air began invading
the United States last week and pushed to the Eastern Seaboard as the week
ended [WARM - Ending at 10 weeks].
4. Southeastern United States:
SCATTERED SHOWERS FAIL TO BRING RELIEF
Moderate to heavy showers dropped 25 to 50 mm of rain on the northern fringes
of the regions, with locally heavier rains (50 to 200 mm) falling on west-central
Louisiana, central Mississippi, and central Alabama. Further south, little
or no rain fell along the Gulf Coast from extreme southern Texas eastward
through southern Georgia and central Florida. Between 25 and 200 mm of
rain has fallen on the region during the last 8 weeks, allowing precipitation
deficits to range from 50 to 200 mm [DRY - Up to 9 weeks].
5. Colombia:
MORE VERY WET WEATHER
Moderate to heavy rain (25 to 100 mm, with locally higher amounts above
200 mm) soaked west-central Colombia again last week. Since the middle
of January, between 100 and 600 mm of rain have fallen, yielding moisture
surpluses of 50 to 270 mm [WET - Up to 6 weeks].
6. Western Europe:
MORE WET WEATHER
Moderate to heavy precipitation (20 to 100 mm) kept parts of western Europe
from Great Britain southeastward to Austria and Slovakia wet. Since mid
January, amounts of 130 to 400 mm (with higher amounts of up to 850 mm
in the Alps) have accumulated in the region which range from 50 to 160
mm above normal [WET - Up to 8 weeks].
7. Southwestern Europe and Northwestern Africa:
DRYNESS CONTINUES
Little or no rain again fell on the Iberian Peninsula, the western Mediterranean
Islands, Morocco, and the islands of the southeastern North Atlantic. Most
of the area has received less than 80 mm of rain during the last 8 weeks,
yielding moisture shortages of 55 to 250 mm [DRY - Up to 13 weeks].
8. Turkey:
COLD ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Weekly departures of -3°C to -6°C again prevailed across much of
Turkey, with lows dipping to -13°C at Erzincan (40°N) and
Kirsehir (39°N) [COLD - Up to 2 weeks].
9. Northwestern Africa and Extreme Southern Spain:
HEAT CONTINUES
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C above normal over southern Spain,
and 3°C to 8°C above normal over northwestern Africa from
Morocco southward to Senegal and southern Mali. The mercury reached as
high as 43°C at Diourbel, Senegal (15°N) and 42°C at
Atar, Mauritania (21°N) [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].
10 Niger:
COOL CONDITIONS REPORTED
Temperatures were 2°C to 4°C below normal across southern Niger,
with the mercury dropping to 12°C at Magaria (13°N) and Agadez
(17°N) [COLD - Up to 2 weeks].
.
11. Central Africa:
DRYNESS EXPANDS
Dry weather prevailed across central Africa from Cote D'Ivoire southward
to northern Gabon and eastward to southern Ethiopia and Kenya. Moisture
deficits have accumulated from 50 to 340 mm since January 16 [DRY - Up
to 7 weeks].
12. Southern Africa:
MORE HEAVY RAIN
Heavy rains (100 to 210 mm) continue to compound the severe flooding in
Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northeastern South Africa and Swaziland. During the
last 8 weeks, amounts of 285 to 1365 mm have deluged the region, resulting
in moisture excesses of 100 to 1050 mm [WET - Up to 18 weeks].
13. Eastern India and Southwestern China:
SUBNORMAL TEMPERATURES ABATE
Weekly departures of -2°C to -3°C dominated extreme eastern India,
northern Myanmar, and southwestern China. Subfreezing lows were reported
in China as far south as 33°N, and highs failed to reach 30°C throughout
southwestern China. Farther west, lows generally remained above 9°C
while highs exceeded 30°C [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].
14. Japan:
MORE VERY DRY WEATHER
Little or no precipitation was reported along or east of the mountains
of central and northern Japan while 25 to 100 mm were reported on the windward
side of the archipelago. Short-term (January 16 - March 11) precipitation
shortfalls ranged from 50 to 200 mm [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].
15. Indonesia:
DRY ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Little or no rain fell on central and southern Sumatra and western Borneo,
except for isolated showers of up to 100 mm. Although short-term (8-week)
totals generally ranged from 100 to 400 mm, moisture deficits reached 100
to 330 mm [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].
16. Northwestern Australia:
UNUSUALLY COOL CONDITIONS PERSIST
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C below normal last week, with lows
dipping below 20°C as far north as 20°S. Highs exceeded 30°C
at most locations. The passage of Tropical Cyclone Steve (see next item
below) contributed to increased cloudiness across Western Australia [COLD
- Up to 5 weeks].
17. Australia:
TROPICAL CYCLONE STEVE DELUGES NORTHWEST; HEAVY RAINS DRENCH
SOUTHEAST; FAVORABLY DRY ELSEWHERE
Most of northern Australia received heavy rains from Tropical Storm Steve,
which briefly reached hurricane force off the northwestern coast before
weakening as it recurved southeastward and moved inland. Rainfall totals
for the week exceeded 100 mm across northwestern Northern Territory and
in western and northern Western Australia, with amounts exceeding 200 mm
along the northwestern coast. Meanwhile, heavy precipitation (50 to 200
mm, with locally higher amounts) soaked extreme southwestern Queensland
and much of northern and eastern New South Wales. In addition, heavy showers
dumped more than 100 mm of rain on coastal locations of northeastern Queensland.
Fewer than 50 mm of rain were reported elsewhere. Since the middle of January
much of the northern half of Australia has received more than 200 mm of
rain, resulting in precipitation excesses of 100 to 500 mm [WET - Up to
8 weeks].
18. Southeastern Australia:
WARM ANOMALY WEAKENS
Temperatures were generally within 3°C of normal last week, but highs
failed to reach 30°C in Tasmania and at many locations in Victoria
and southeastern South Australia [WARM - Ending at 6 weeks].