1. Western Canada:
UNUSUALLY MILD WEATHER PERSISTS
Unseasonably mild conditions, characterized by weekly departures of +6°C
to +16°C, dominated the Canadian Rockies and western Prairies from
central British Columbia eastward to western Saskatchewan. Although lows
still dropped below -20°C across the northern half of the depicted
region, the mercury climbed above freezing at most locations [WARM - Up
to 5 weeks].
2. Northwestern United States:
SHORT-TERM MOISTURE SHORTAGES REMAIN
Between 25 and 100 mm of precipitation fell on portions of Oregon and Washington
west of the Cascades, but 8-week precipitation shortfalls ranged from 50
to 220 mm. East of the Cascades, weekly precipitation totals were generally
less than 10 mm, but short-term deficits remained below 100 mm [DRY - Up
to 7 weeks].
3. Eastern North America:
UNFAVORABLY DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Despite scattered moderate precipitation (25 to 100 mm) in northern New
Hampshire, northern Vermont, southern Quebec, and Nova Scotia, very dry
weather, characterized by less than 25 mm of precipitation during the week,
dominated the region. Between December 10 and February 3, less than 110
mm was reported across the region, allowing moisture shortages of 50 to
100 mm to accumulate [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].
4. Central South America:
UNUSUALLY WET WEATHER DOMINATES
Torrential rains (100 to 200 mm) drenched Santa Catarina and northern Rio
Grande do Sul states of southern Brazil, Misiones province of extreme northeastern
Argentina, and parts of southern Paraguay while moderate to heavy rains
(25 to 100 mm) fell on the remainder of the region. Since mid-December,
200 to 600 mm of rain has fallen on the region, yielding moisture surpluses
of 100 to 320 mm [WET - Up to 10 weeks].
5. Southern Africa:
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS BRING RELIEF TO NORTHEASTERN ZIMBABWE;
VERY DRY ELSEWHERE
Between 100 and 200 mm of rain inundated parts of extreme northeastern
Zimbabwe and extreme western Mozambique while moderate rains (25 to 100
mm) prevailed across northern Zimbabwe and northeastern Botswana. Further
south, however, fewer than 25 mm of rain was reported. Since December 10,
the region has received up to 220 mm of rain, but precipitation shortfalls
ranged from 50 to 250 mm [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].
6. Western Siberia:
BITTERLY COLD WEATHER RETURNS
Weekly departures of -6°C to -21°C dominated the western portion
of Siberia. The mercury failed to reach -20°C throughout the week while
lows ranged from -30°C to -53°C [COLD - 2 weeks].
7. Kamchatka Peninsula:
COLD WEATHER PERSISTS ON KAMCHATKA PENINSULA
Temperatures were 3°C to 9°C below normal on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The mercury failed to reach the freezing mark on the entire peninsula,
and remained below -10°C across the northern third of Kamchatka. Readings
plummeted to -32°C at some locations during the week [COLD - Ending
at 17 weeks].
8. Northeastern Australia:
DRYNESS LIMITED TO CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
Abundant rains (50 to 200 mm) drenched much of coastal eastern Australia,
but fewer than 50 mm was reported across a strip of central Queensland.
Short-term moisture deficits remained below 100 mm [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].
9. Southeastern Australia:
HEAT WAVE CONTINUES
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 3°C above normal last week, with highs
ranging from 30°C to 39°C at most locations, and approaching 41°C
at Ceduna (32°S) [WARM - Up to 11 weeks].
10. Southern Pacific:
NO TROPICAL STORMS REPORTED
The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)
reported that November, December, and January have all passed without the
birth of a tropical cyclone in the South Pacific. It is not unique, but
climatological records reveal that this last happened during the 1944/1945
season.