1. Western North America:
A WARM ANOMALY SPREADS ACROSS REGION
Temperatures were 6°C to 9°C above normal across the Rockies from
the southern United States northward to west-central Canada and across
the southern portion of the Northwest Territories. Weekly departures of
+3°C to +6°C dominated the remainder of the region. The mercury
soared above 40°C in southeastern California and southwestern Arizona
while readings in the thirties (°C) prevailed across the western United
States and southwestern Canada, except at coastal locations and the higher
elevations. Subfreezing lows prevailed across Canada, but were limited
to the higher elevations in the western United States [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].
2. Mexico:
HURRICANE JULIETTE BRINGS HEAVY RAINS
Satellite estimates indicate that Hurricane Juliette dumped more than 125
mm of rain on parts of Baja California [Episodic Event].
3. Eastern United States:
UNUSUALLY COLD WEATHER DOMINATES; KILLER TORNADO IN MARYLAND
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C below normal across the eastern
United States following severe weather at some locations. Lows reached
5°C as far south as Birmingham, AL (34°N) while highs in the thirties
(°C) were restricted to the Southeast [COLD - Up to 3 weeks]. Press
reports indicated that 2 students were killed when a tornado struck the
University of Maryland in College Park, a suburb of Washington DC [Episodic
Event].
4. Florida:
MORE HEAVY RAINS
Torrential rains (100 to 250 mm) drenched eastern and southern Florida
while moderate to heavy precipitation (25 to 100 mm) fell on the remainder
of the state. During the past 8 weeks, 300 to 600 mm of rain generated
short-term moisture surpluses of 60 to 220 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].
5. Nova Scotia:
PRECIPITATION SHORTAGES PERSIST
Isolated light to moderate showers yielded 25 to 100 mm of rain, but most
of Nova Scotia received fewer than 25 mm during the past week, allowing
8-week moisture shortages of 50 to 170 mm to persist [DRY - Up to 15 weeks].
6. Central Europe:
HEAVY PRECIPITATION CONTINUES IN SOUTH-CENTRAL EUROPE; FAVORABLY
DRY ELSEWHERE
Moderate to heavy precipitation (25 to 100 mm, with locally higher amounts
to 200 mm) fell on southeastern France, the Alps, northern and central
Italy, western sections of former Yugoslavia, parts of southern Poland
and western Slovakia, and most of Romania and Bulgaria. Between August
5 and September 29, precipitation generally totaled 100 to 300 mm, resulting
in short-term moisture excesses of 100 to 240 mm [WET - Up to 6 weeks].
7. Namibia:
COLD CONDITIONS ABATE
Weekly departures ranged from -1°C to -2°C, with lows in the single
digits (°C). The mercury climbed above 30°C at most locations [COLD
- Ending at 4 weeks].
8. Southeastern Africa:
ANOTHER RELATIVELY DRY WEEK
Favorably dry weather, characterized by little or no precipitation, provided
additional relief from recent wetness. During the last 8 weeks, 125 to
225 mm of rain allowed short-term moisture surpluses of 60 to 160 mm to
accumulate [WET - Ending at 8 weeks].
9. North-Central China:
WET ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Moderate to heavy rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on Shaanxi, extreme eastern
Gansu, and the central section of Sichuan this past week, with 4-week totals
(75 to 405 mm) generally among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution
[WET - Up to 5 weeks].
10. Eastern Siberia:
COLD ANOMALY SHIFTS EASTWARD AND WEAKENS
Temperatures were only 1°C to 3°C below normal during the past
week, but the mercury dipped below -20°C as far south as Toko (56°N),
and readings fell below freezing across the entire region [COLD - Up to
4 weeks].
11. Eastern China:
STILL VERY DRY
Little or no rain fell from extreme Sichuan eastward to the western portions
of Zhejiang and Fujian, and northeastward to the Korean Peninsula as very
dry weather persisted. Since August 5, precipitation totals ranged from
50 to 405 mm, yielding 8-week shortfalls of 50 to 240 mm [DRY - Up to 15
weeks].
12. Taiwan and the Ryukyus:
TYPHOON LEKIMA DELIVERS HEAVY RAINS
Typhoon Lekima dumped 200 to 500 mm of rain on Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands
as it weakened to tropical storm strength. Torrential rains (100 to 500
mm) also inundated the coast of China from southeastern Fujian to northeastern
Zhejiang [Episodic Event].
13. The Philippines:
PRECIPITATION DEFICITS REPORTED
Central and southern portions of the archipelago received 50 to 100 mm
of rain during the past week. Although 8-week precipitation totals were
as high as 505 mm, short-term moisture deficits ranged from 90 to 615 mm
[DRY - Up to 8 weeks].
14. Southeastern Australia:
ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES PREVAIL
Weekly departures of +2°C to +5°C dominated southeastern Australia,
with highs exceeding 30°C across the interior portions of South Australia
and western New South Wales. Subfreezing lows were limited to the higher
elevations of Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].
15. Victoria and Tasmania:
VERY DRY CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Scattered light to moderate rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on parts of Victoria
and western Tasmania, but most of the region received fewer than 25 mm
of rain for the 4th consecutive week, with the 4-week precipitation totals
generally in the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution [DRY - Up
to 5 weeks].