Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for May 19, 2001

1. Western United States:

UNUSUALLY WARM CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 6°C above normal, with highs ranging from 30°C to 38°C. The mercury remained above 20°C in extreme southern Nevada [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].

2. Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan:

DRY ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Little or no precipitation fell on Montana, southern Alberta, and southwestern Manitoba during the past week; however, 8-week moisture deficits were generally less than 50 mm. Please see the United States Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].

3. Central United States:

WET WEATHER EASES
Moderate precipitation (25 to 100 mm) was restricted to southeastern Colorado, northern Missouri, and southern Iowa (where locally heavier amounts approached 150 mm). Favorable dry conditions dominated the remainder of the region. Between March 25 and May 19, precipitation totaled 140 to 310 mm, resulting in short-term moisture surpluses of 100 to 200 mm in Minnesota, southeastern South Dakota, and northeastern Nebraska [WET - Up to 9 weeks].

4. Eastern and Southern United States:

ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST
Moderate rains (25 to 50 mm) were observed in parts of the mid-Atlantic from central North Carolina northeastward to the Delmarva Peninsula and at scattered locations in eastern Alabama and northwestern Georgia. Meanwhile, little or no precipitation was reported elsewhere as unusually dry weather dominated the region. Since late March, less than 150 mm of rain has fallen on the region, yielding short-term moisture deficits of 50 to 190 mm. Please see the United States Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 11 weeks].

5. Central South America:

BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES DOMINATE
Weekly departures of -2°C to -5°C prevailed across much of Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, western Uruguay, and northern Argentina, with temperatures as much as 7°C below normal in southern Paraguay. Subfreezing lows penetrated as far north as southern Cordoba province in northern Argentina while readings dropped below -20°C across the entire region. Highs were generally in the twenties (°C) across the northern half of the region, but the mercury failed to reach 20°C in Buenos Aires and La Pampa provinces of Argentina [COLD - Up to 5 weeks].

6. Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey:

MODERATE RAINS IN TURKEY; FAVORABLY DRY ELSEWHERE
Between 25 and 50 mm of rain fell on most of Turkey, with 50 to 100 mm reported in the eastern portion of the country. Meanwhile, little or no rain provided relief from wetness in Greece and Bulgaria. During the last 8 weeks, the region received 100 to 200 mm of rain, allowing moisture surpluses of 50 to 110 mm to accumulate [WET - Up to 9 weeks].

7. Northern Mozambique:

STILL UNUSUALLY DRY
Little or no rain was reported across northern Mozambique last week. Short-term moisture deficits could not be determined because of the lack of reliable data [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].

8. Central Asia:

WARMTH EXPANDS
Temperature departures of +3°C to +7°C continued over most of Pakistan and eastern Iran while departures of +3°C to +8°C spread northward into western Siberia. Highs in the mid-forties (°C) dominated Pakistan and Iran while the mercury reached as high as 43°C at Tamdy, Kazakhstan (42°N). Readings remained above 20°C throughout the week [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].

9. East-Central Asia:

WARM ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Weekly departures of +3°C to +9°C dominated eastern Mongolia, northeastern China, southeastern Siberia, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. Highs in the thirties (°C) prevailed across Mongolia and northeastern China while the mercury reached 41°C as far north as Chaoyang, China (42°N). Meanwhile, readings in the twenties (°C) prevailed across South Korea and Japan [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].

10. East-Central China, South Korea, and Japan:

DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Little or no rain fell from Shanxi and Henan Provinces of east-central China eastward through Japan. Since March 25, moisture deficits of 60 to 200 mm have accumulated over much of the region [DRY - Up to 12 weeks].

11. Southern China:

COOL POCKET DEVELOPS
Relatively cool conditions, characterized by temperatures averaging 2°C to 4°C below normal, continued over Yunnan Province of southern China. The mercury dropped below 20°C at many locations, and reached 9°C at Dali, China (26°N) [COLD - 2 weeks].