Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for October 20, 2001

1. South-Central United States:

COLD CONDITIONS DOMINATE
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C below normal across much of Texas and Oklahoma, with weekly departures approaching -6°C in central Texas. Highs in the thirties (°C) were restricted to western and southern Texas while readings in the twenties (°C) prevailed elsewhere. Subfreezing lows covered most of Oklahoma and northwestern Texas, and penetrated as far south as central Texas [COLD - Up to 6 weeks].

2. Central United States and Southeastern Canada:

WET WEATHER ABATES
Moderate to heavy precipitation (50 to 100 mm) fell on eastern Michigan and south-central Ontario while light to moderate rain (25 to 50 mm) was observed in southwestern Michigan, eastern Indiana, western Ohio, and central Kentucky. During the last 8 weeks, precipitation totaled 100 to 400 mm, and short-term moisture excesses ranged from 50 to 250 mm [WET - Up to 7 weeks].

3. Eastern Canada:

WARM ANOMALY RETURNS
Weekly departures of +2°C to +5°C dominated Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, with temperatures as much as 7°C above normal in Labrador and northern Quebec. The mercury remained above freezing across the southern seaward portions of the Canadian Maritimes [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].

4. Uruguay and Northern Argentina:

PRECIPITATION SURPLUSES REMAIN
Between 25 and 100 mm of rain soaked a swath from Cordoba and southeastern La Rioja provinces of Argentina eastward to the Atlantic Coast of Uruguay, with lesser amounts across the fringes of the region. Since late August, the region has received 100 to 500 mm of rain, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 250 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].

5. Europe and Northern Africa:

LATE-SEASON WARMTH OVERSPREADS REGION
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C across the region, with locally higher departures of +6°C to +9°C in Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, and France. The mercury exceeded 30°C in Tunisia and northern Algeria while highs in the twenties (°C) dominated Europe as far north as the Netherlands, southern Denmark, and northern Poland. Except for higher elevations in the Alps, subfreezing lows were restricted to Norway, Sweden, Finland, and European Russia [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].

6. Southeastern Europe:

DRY ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Scanty precipitation (less than 25 mm) was observed across much of southeastern Europe for the 3rd consecutive week, allowing 4-week totals to be among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution for precipitation [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].

7. Southeastern China:

ABNORMALLY DRY WEATHER CONTINUES
Little or no precipitation fell on southeastern China during the past week as unusually dry conditions persisted. Despite the dry weather, precipitation shortfalls of 50 to 300 mm were limited to interior portions of the region [DRY - Up to 18 weeks].

8. Southern Australia:

UNUSUALLY COOL CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Weekly departures of -2°C to -6°C dominated southern Australia from central Western Australia to Victoria and eastern New South Wales. The mercury failed to reach 20°C in Tasmania, Victoria, and extreme southern New South Wales while highs in the thirties (°C) were limited to southern Queensland and central Western Australia. Subfreezing lows were scattered across Tasmania and interior portions of Victoria and New South Wales [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].