Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for May 20, 2000

1. Southwestern Canada:

UNUSUALLY COLD CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 6°C below normal across Alberta and adjacent parts of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, with lows dropping below -10°C on the southern shore of the Great Slave Lake. Subfreezing lows prevailed across the region while highs failed to reach 20°C at most locations [COLD - 2 weeks].

2. Central and Southeastern United States:

VERY DRY WEATHER PREVAILS
Scanty rainfall (less than 10 mm) was reported across most of Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska as abnormally dry weather continued. Little or no rain fell on the Southeast from southern Louisiana eastward to the Atlantic Seaboard, with only scattered showers yielding 25 to 50 mm of rain in central Mississippi and the northeastern and southeastern portions of Florida. Between 50 and 200 mm of rain has fallen since late March, allowing mositure deficits of 50 to 170 mm to persist [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].

3. East-Central South America:

TORRENTIAL RAINS DRENCH REGION
Heavy precipitation (100 to 200 mm, with locally higher amounts) dominated Uruguay and adjacent portions of Argentina while moderate rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil, the southeastern third of Paraguay, and most of northeastern Argentina. Since late March, between 100 and 1000 mm of rain has fallen on the region, resulting in moisture excesses as high as 445 mm in Uruguay, 440 mm in northeastern Argentina, and 132 mm in Paraguay [WET - Up to 10 weeks].

4. Europe and Northwestern Africa:

WARMTH CONTINUES
Temperatures remained abnormally high over a large portion of Europe from the British Isles and southern Scandinavia southwestward to Tunisia and the central Mediterranean. Temperatures averaged 2°C to 7°C above normal over the region with the mercury reaching 28°C as far north as Nesbyen, Norway (60°N) [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].

5. Eastern Europe:

RAINS PROVIDE SOME RELIEF
Light to moderate showers (10 to 40 mm) eased dryness across most of the region. Little or no rain, however, fell on Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. Since late March, less than 100 mm of precipitation has fallen on much of the region (except for the Alps), allowing moisture deficits to range from 50 to 130 mm [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].

6. Western Asia and Eastern Europe:

COLD ANOMALY CONTINUES
Weekly departures of -3°C to -10°C dominated western Russia and western Kazakhstan, with lows plummeting to -4°C at Vytegra, Russia (61°N)  [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

7. Western Africa:

ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES PREVAIL
Temperatures averaged 1°C to 3°C above normal, with the largest weekly departures reported in western Niger. Highs of 40°C to 46°C dominated Burkina Faso and Niger while maximum temperatures were generally in the 30°C to 39°C range elsewhere [WARM - Up to 12 weeks].

8. Ghana, Togo, and Benin:

VERY DRY CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Scattered showers delivered 35 to 50 mm of rain to parts of the region, but lesser amounts (10 to 25 mm) were received at most locations. During the past 8 weeks, precipitation totals ranged from 50 to 200 mm, resulting in shortfalls of 50 to 170 mm [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].

9. East-Central Africa:

LITTLE OR NO RAIN REPORTED
Most of Kenya, southern Ethiopia, and northern Tanzania received no rain during the past week. Since late March, fewer than 125 mm of rain has fallen on the region (except at some coastal locations), yielding short-term deficits as high as 350 mm [DRY - Up to 17 weeks].

10. Northeastern South Africa:

COLD WEATHER SHIFTS NORTHEASTWARD
Weekly departures ranged from -2°C to -4°C, with subfreezing lows at most locations, including Johannesburg (26°S) [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].

11. Northern Japan:

RAINS CONTINUE
Moderate to heavy rains (25 to 100 mm) again soaked Hokkaido and northern Honshu. Since the end of March, 165 to 600 mm has fallen, which are moisture excesses of 50 to 365 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].

12. East-Central Asia:

DRY WEATHER PREVAILS
No rain was again reported over much of east-central China from northern Sichuan and southern Gansu Provinces eastward to the Yellow Sea. Moderate to heavy rains, however, relieved dryness over parts of southern Japan.  During the last 8 weeks, moisture deficits of 60 to 250 mm have accumulated over the region [DRY - Up to 13 weeks].

13. Southeastern Asia:

RAINS CONTINUE
Thunderstorms again brought moderate to very heavy rains (25 to 200 mm) to much of the region. During the last 8 weeks, 170 to 780 mm of rain have saturated the region, which are excesses of 60 to 450 mm of normal [WET - Up to 18 weeks].

14. Western Australia:

ABNORMALLY COOL WEATHER RETURNS
Temperatures were 2°C to 4°C below normal across Western Australia, with lows reaching 10°C as far north as 22°S. Highs above 30°C were restricted to coastal regions of northern Western Australia [COLD - Up to 5 weeks].

15. Southeastern Australia:

UNUSUALLY DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Little of no rain fell on Tasmania, Victoria, and southern New South Wales, except for light to moderate rains (25 to 50 mm) at a few coastal locations in Tasmania and isolated sections of central Victoria. During the past 8 weeks, fewer than 100 mm of rain accumulated, resulting in precipitation shortfalls of 50 to 240 mm [DRY - Up to 8 weeks].