Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for November 4, 2000

1. Hawaii:

RECORD-BREAKING RAINS DRENCH BIG ISLAND
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Honolulu, HI reported that almost 692 mm of rain inundated Hilo, HI on November 1-2, setting a new record rainfall for any 24-hour period. Meanwhile, Kapapala Ranch received 279 mm of rain in 3 hours and 685 mm in 12 hours during the same period of storminess [Episodic Event].

2. Central United States:

HEAVY RAINS SOAK SOUTH-CENTRAL STATES WHILE EARLY-SEASON SNOW BLANKETS NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS
Torrential rains (100 to 250 mm) inundated central and eastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, much of Arkansas, and extreme southern Oklahoma while totals of 25 to 100 mm dominated the remainder of the southern Plains. Further north, 25 to 100 mm of precipitation fell as snow, with snow depths approaching 100 cm in parts of the Black Hills of South Dakota, disrupting transportation according to the media. Despite the unusually wet weather, 8-week precipitation excesses of 100 to 250 mm were limited to parts of Texas and Oklahoma [WET - Up to 6 weeks].

3. Central United States and South-Central Canada:

UNUSUALLY WARM CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Temperatures were 3°C to 7°C above normal across the United States from approximately 100°W eastward to about 85°W, with highs reaching 30°C as far north as western Tennessee, and exceeding 20°C as far north as central Minnesota and eastern Upper Michigan. The mercury remained above freezing as far north as southeastern Minnesota and southern Wisconsin [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].

4. Eastern United States:

VERY DRY WEATHER DOMINATES
Little or no precipitation fell from central Mississippi and central Illinois eastward to the Atlantic Seaboard as very dry conditions prevailed across the eastern United States. Although the current dry spell is less than 6 weeks old, much of the southeastern United States reported 8-week precipitation shortfalls of 50 to 150 mm (See the United States Drought Monitor for details on long-term dryness). Elsewhere, short-term moisture deficits were generally less than 100 mm [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].

5. Central South America:

PRECIPITATION ABATES
Moderate rain showers (50 to 100 mm) were limited to east-central Argentina and extreme southern Paraguay while most of Uruguay and northern Argentina received 10 to 50 mm of rain. Precipitation totaled 100 to 600 mm at most locations during the last 8 weeks, resulting in moisture excesses of 50 to 300 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].

6. Western and Southern Europe:

ABNORMALLY WET WEATHER SPREADS
Torrential rains (100 to 200 mm) soaked parts of Wales, northern England, northwestern Spain, and the Alps while moderate to heavy precipitation (25 to 100 mm) dominated most of the remainder of the region. Lighter precipitation amounts (10 to 25 mm) were restricted to parts of southern and central France. During the past 8 weeks, up to 800 mm of precipitation generated short-term moisture excesses of up to 425 mm in the Alps while the remainder of western and southern Europe received 150 to 450 mm of precipitation, yielding moisture surpluses of up to 200 mm [WET - Up to 10 weeks].

7. Europe:

WARM ANOMALY COVERS MUCH OF CONTINENT
Temperature departures of +2°C to +6°C prevailed over a large area of Europe extending from southern Sweden southward to the western Mediterranean and eastward to southern European Russia.  The mercury soared to 27°C at Loznica, Yugoslavia (45°N) [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].

8. Eastern Europe:

SCANTY PRECIPITATION REPORTED
Little or no precipitation fell on eastern Europe from Austria, eastern Poland, and eastern Slovakia eastward to the Urals, except for isolated light showers (10 to 25 mm) in south-central Ukraine and west-central European Russia. Fewer than 100 mm of precipitation has fallen on the region since early September, allowing moisture deficits to range from 50 to 120 mm [DRY - Up to 14 weeks].

9. Eastern Siberia:

COLD ANOMALY PERSISTS
Cold weather continued in eastern Siberia as temperatures averaged 3°C to 8°C below normal. Readings plunged to -42°C at Verhojansk, Russia (68°N) [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].

10. Southern Japan:

WARMTH CONTINUES
Warm conditions continued across southern Japan as temperatures averaged 2°C to 6°C above normal. The mercury climbed to 30°C as far north as Miyazaki, Japan (32°N) [WARM - Up to 21 weeks].

11. Southeastern China, Southern Japan, and the Northern Philippines:

TYPHOON XANGSANE BATTERS LUZON, TAIWAN, AND JAPAN; DRY WEATHER EASES WETNESS IN CHINA
Typhoon Xangsane struck northern Luzon in the Philippines and Taiwan with high wind and torrential rains (200 to 350 mm) before moving northward and dumping 100 to 200 mm of rain on Japan. According to press accounts, the typhoon was responsible for dozens of deaths in both Taiwan and the Philippines (Episodic Event).  Except for the coasts of Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang Provinces which received up to 100 mm of rain, dry weather dominated the remainder of eastern China, providing relief from the excessive wetness. During the last 8 weeks, 100 to 400 mm of precipitation has fallen in much of southeastern China, generating moisture surpluses of 50 to 250 mm. Meanwhile 300 to 900 mm has saturated Japan since early September, resulting in moisture excesses of up to 500 mm [WET  - Up to 9 weeks].