Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for July 22, 2000

1. Central United States:

HEAVY RAINS SHIFT SOUTHWARD
A frontal boundary between hot, tropical air to the south (see item 2) and cool Canadian air to the north (see item 4) yielded 50 to 125 mm of rain in Kansas and northern Oklahoma while favorable dry conditions (less than 30 mm of rain) prevailed to the north and northwest. Despite the dry weather, 8-week totals of 100 to 300 mm dominated the region, allowing moisture excesses of 50 to 250 mm to accumulate [WET - Up to 20 weeks].

2. Southern United States:

HIGH TEMPERATURES EXACERBATE DRYNESS
Temperatures averaging 2°C to 4°C above normal dominated the southern United States from Texas eastward to central Georgia. The mercury soared above 40°C at many locations throughout the region, which combined with high relative humidity, resulted in several deaths, according to the media. Minimum temperatures remained above 20°C across eastern Texas, central and southern Arkansas, and the Gulf Coast [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].

3. Southern United States and Northeastern Mexico:

STILL VERY DRY
Scattered moderate showers dropped 20 to 80 mm of rain on the central Gulf Coast and isolated portions of the Southeast, but most of the region received fewer than 30 mm. Precipitation totals of 50 to 250 mm since late May resulted in shortfalls of 80 to 270 mm. High temperatures (see item 2) aggravated the very dry conditions across the South [DRY - Up to 15 weeks].

4. Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada:

UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Weekly departures of -3°C to -6°C covered the northern United States from the western Dakotas and central Nebraska eastward to the Atlantic Seaboard, with departures approaching -7°C in the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota. Readings dropped below 10°C as far south as Youngstown, Ohio (41°N) and reached 20°C as far south as Tennessee and western North Carolina [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

5. Central and Southern South America:

ABNORMALLY COLD WEATHER CONTINUES
Temperatures averaging 6°C to 10°C below normal dominated southeastern Bolivia, most of Paraguay, extreme southern Brazil, northern Uruguay, and adjacent parts of northeastern Argentina while weekly departures of -2°C to -6°C prevailed throughout the remainder of Argentina and Chile. Subfreezing temperatures covered most of Argentina, Paraguay, and extreme southern Brazil, with lows dropping below -10°C at some high altitude stations in Bolivia. The mercury failed to reach 20°C in extreme southern Brazil, Uruguay, and central Argentina [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

6. Central Europe:

UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS REPORTED
Temperatures were 2°C to 5°C below normal last week across France, Germany, and Poland southward into the central Mediterranean, with the mercury dropping to 5°C at Clermont, France (46°N), and to freezing at locations in the higher elevations [COLD - 2 weeks].

7. Middle East and Northeastern Africa:

HEAT CONTINUES
Hot weather persisted from Turkey southward to northeastern Sudan and southern Saudi Arabia, with temperatures soaring into the mid 40's and averaging 2°C to 6°C above normal. The mercury climbed as high as 47°C at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (25°N) [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].
 

8. Western African Sahel:

RAINS EASE DRYNESS
Moderate showers (25 to 75 mm) relieved dryness across southern Mali, Upper Volta, and western Niger, but little or no rain fell on the remainder of the region. Eight-week moisture deficits of 150 to 200 mm were reported in Senegal [DRY - Up to 8 weeks].

9. Northeastern China:

DRYNESS PREVAILS
Scattered thunderstorms brought light to moderate rain (up to 30 mm) in parts of northern Nei Mongol, but little or no rain fell on the remainder of the region. Less than 140 mm of rain has fallen during the last 8 weeks, yielding moisture shortages of up to 135 mm [DRY - Up to 12 weeks].

10. East-Central Asia:

ANOTHER WARM WEEK
Weekly departures of +2°C to +6°C prevailed over southeastern Siberia, northeastern China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. Temperatures climbed to as high as 38°C at Kyoto, Japan (35°N) [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].

11. Northeastern Australia:

UNUSUALLY COOL CONDITIONS REPORTED
Temperatures were 2°C to 4°C below normal on the southern half of the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland. Lows dipped to 4°C as far north as Georgetown (18°S) while highs failed to reach 30°C across the region [COLD - 2 weeks].

12. Tasmania and Victoria:

MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION BRINGS LIMITED RELIEF
Between 100 and 200 mm of precipitation soaked northwestern Tasmania while 50 to 100 mm dampened northern, central, and western sections of the island. Fewer than 25 mm of precipitation fell on most of Victoria and southeastern Tasmania. Precipitation shortfalls for the last 8 weeks ranged from 50 to 120 mm [DRY - Up to 16 weeks].