Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for May 6, 2000

1. New Mexico and Texas:

EARLY-SEASON HEAT
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C above normal in southern New Mexico and southwestern Texas, with the mercury reaching 40°C at San Angelo (31°N) and Abilene (32°N) [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].

2. Central United States:

FLASH FLOODS RAVAGE OKLAHOMA AND MISSOURI
Torrential rains, locally exceeding 300 mm during the weekend, inundated sections of Oklahoma and Missouri, particularly along Interstate 44 from Tulsa, OK northeastward to St. Louis, MO. Significant flash flooding claimed at least two lives, closed roads, and forced evacuations in suburban areas around both Tulsa and St. Louis, according to media reports [Episodic Events].

3. Central South America:

TORRENTIAL RAINS REPORTED
Heavy rains (100 to almost 500 mm) soaked Uruguay, extreme southern Brazil, central and southeastern Paraguay, and northern Buenos Aires province of Argentina while lesser amounts (25 to 100 mm) fell on much of northern Argentina. During the past 8 weeks, precipitation totals (and departures)  ranged from  320 to 520 mm (+80 to +420 mm) in Uruguay, 100 to 510 mm (+50 to +360 mm) in Argentina, and 200 to 380 mm (+50 to +100 mm) in Paraguay [WET - Up to 8 weeks].

4. Western Europe:

STORMS BRING MORE RAIN TO IBERIAN PENINSULA
Thunderstorms again swept across Portugal and western Spain, bringing more moderate to heavy rain (25 to 150 mm). Elsewhere, dry weather eased the wetness in the remainder of the region. Since March 12th, moisture excesses of 50 to 90 mm have accumulated in the British Isles, 50 to 125 mm in western France, and 60 to 325 mm in Portugal and Spain [WET - Up to 7 weeks].

5. Europe:

WARMTH CONTINUES
Temperatures remained abnormally warm (2°C to 6°C above normal) over a large portion of Europe from the British Isles and France eastward to southern Finland, Belarus, and western Ukraine, with the mercury reaching 29°C at Berlin, Germany (52°N) [WARM - Up to 5 weeks].

6. Burkina Faso:

WARM ANOMALY PERSISTS
Weekly departures of +2°C to +3°C prevailed across Burkina Faso and adjacent areas, with the mercury soaring as high as 40°C to 45°C [WARM - Up to 10 weeks].

7. Southern Africa:

COLD ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Temperatures were 2°C to 6°C below normal across western and central South Africa, with subfreezing lows reported as far north as 26°S. Highs failed to reach 30°C throughout most of the country [COLD - 2 weeks].

8. East-Central Africa:

STILL VERY DRY
During the past week, little or no rain was reported across Kenya, except for 50 to 100 mm along the extreme southeastern coast and 10 to 50 mm in the extreme western sections of the country.  Short-term (8-week) moisture deficits range from 50 to 160 mm. Reliable data are lacking for Ethiopia [DRY - Up to 15 weeks].

9. Southwestern Asia:

DRYNESS PERSISTS
Little or no rain again fell over northeastern Iran and southern Turkmenistan. Since the middle of March, less than 65 mm has fallen over the area, resulting in moisture deficits of 50 to 110 mm [DRY - Up to 11 weeks].

10. East-Central China:

DRY WEATHER AGAIN PREVAILS
Little or no rain was reported over east-central China from northern Sichuan and southern Gansu Provinces eastward to the Yellow Sea. During the last 8 weeks, moisture deficits of 60 to 180 mm have accumulated over much of the region [DRY - Up to 11 weeks].

11. Southeastern China :

HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE
Moderate to heavy rains (25 to 150 mm) again soaked most of Guangdong Province. Since the middle of March, 140 to 700 mm has fallen over the area, yielding precipitation excesses of 50 to 300 mm [WET - Up to 7 weeks].

12. Southeastern Asia:

RAINS CONTINUE
Thunderstorms again brought moderate to very heavy rains (25 to 200 mm) to much of Myanmar and Thailand.  During the last 8 weeks, amounts of 150 to 440 mm have saturated the region, which are moisture surpluses of 50 to 270 mm [WET - Up to 16 weeks].

13. Australia:

WETNESS CONTINUES EASTWARD SHIFT
Between 25 and 100 mm of rain drenched the southern half of the eastern Queensland coast while similar amounts  fell on the central and eastern portions of New South Wales and Victoria [WET - Up to 16 weeks]. Little or no rain fell on Western Australia, Northern Territory, and the western and northern sections of Queensland, but 8-week moisture surpluses exceeded 100 mm at scattered locations across Australia [WET - Ended at 16 weeks].

14. Western and Central Australia:

MORE COOL WEATHER
Temperatures remained 2°C to 5°C below normal last week across much of the region, and the mercury dropped below 10°C as far north as 21°S [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].