1. Southwestern Canada and Northwestern United States:
PRECIPITATION DEFICITS PERSIST
Generally less than 25 mm of precipitation has fallen on southwestern British
Columbia and western portions of Washington and Oregon during the past
week. Since December 31, the region has received 40 to 210 mm of precipitation,
resulting in shortfalls of 65 to 225 mm. Deficient precipitation
is of concern because the Pacific Northwest depends on winter precipitation
for their water supplies (see the U.
S. Drought Monitor for more information) [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].
2. Southern Canada and Northern United States:
VERY COLD WEATHER DOMINATES REGION
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 6°C below normal last week, with weekly
departures approaching -8°C at some scattered locations. Lows of -30°C
to -37°C dominated south-central Canada while the mercury dipped below
-20°C as far south as northwestern Iowa [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].
3. Central United States:
UNUSUALLY WET CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Moderate to heavy precipitation (50 to 150 mm) dominated eastern Oklahoma,
southern and central Missouri, and central Illinois, with lesser amounts
(25 to 50 mm) prevailing elsewhere. Between 100 and 300 mm of precipitation
has fallen on the region since December 31, allowing short-term moisture
excesses of 50 to 125 mm to accumulate [WET - Up to 6 weeks].
4. Southeastern United States:
STORMS EVADE THE GULF COAST AND FLORIDA
Little or no precipitation fell on the Gulf Coast and Florida during the
past week. During the last 8 weeks, between 10 and 160 mm of precipitation
has fallen on the region, yielding short-term moisture deficits of 50 to
180 mm (see the U. S.
Drought Monitor for more information) [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].
5. Central South America:
RAINS EASE DRYNESS
Thunderstorms brought moderate to heavy rains (50 to 150 mm) to much of
Bolivia and Brazil's Mato Grosso, relieving dryness of the last several
months. Since the end of last year, however, moisture deficits up
to 330 mm have still accumulated in the region [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].
6. Southern South America:
WARMTH CONTINUES
Temperature departures of +2°C to +6°C again prevailed over an
area extending from central Chile eastward across Uruguay and Brazil's
southern Rio Grande Do Sul. The mercury climbed to as high as 42°C
at San Juan, Argentina (32°S) [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].
7. East-Central Asia:
COLD ANOMALY DIMINISHES
Cold weather was limited to the island of Sakhalin and adjacent southeastern
Siberia as temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C below normal. Lows
plummeted to -34°C at Nikolaevsk, Russia (53°N) [COLD - Up to 20
weeks].
8. Western Australia:
MORE WET WEATHER
Torrential rains (100 to 200 mm) inundated northern sections of Western
Australia while moderate to heavy precipitation (25 to 100 mm) prevailed
across the central and eastern sections of Western Australia. Totals dropped
sharply to the west. Between 100 and 500 mm of rain has fallen on Western
Australia during the last 8 weeks, resulting in moisture surpluses of 50
to 250 mm [WET - Up to 9 weeks]. With increased cloudiness prevailing across
much of Western Australia, weekly departures of -2°C to -5°C dominated
the region. The mercury remained well above the freezing mark; however,
readings failed to reach 40°C across the region, and highs in the twenties
(°C) dominated the extreme southern portions of the region [COLD -
Up to 3 weeks].
9. South-Central Australia:
HIGH TEMPERATURES CONTINUE
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C above normal across most of South
Australia and the western sections of New South Wales and Victoria. The
mercury soared above 40°C at many interior locations, with highs above
30°C across the remainder of the region [WARM -Up to 14 weeks].
10. South Pacific:
OMA BECOMES FIRST TROPICAL STORM OF THE SEASON
Tropical Storm Oma became the first named storm of the season in the South
Pacific, but the storm lasted less than 2 full days. No tropical cyclones
formed in the South Pacific between November 1 and February 19, normally
the height of the South Pacific tropical storm season.