Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for November 3, 2001

1. Alaska:

BITTERLY COLD AIR REMAIN ENTRENCHED
Weekly departures of -3°C to -6°C dominated the state, with departures reaching -9°C across southwestern Alaska. The mercury plummeted to -26°C at Northway (63°N) and remained below freezing except along the Alaska Peninsula [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

2. South-Central United States:

MOISTURE DEFICITS PERSIST
Fewer than 10 mm of rain fell on northwestern Texas, western and central Oklahoma, and southern Kansas during the past week, but eastern Oklahoma received up to 50 mm, with isolated totals approaching 140 mm. Between September 9 and November 3, precipitation totaled less than 120 mm, allowing shortfalls of 50 to 130 mm to accumulate. See the United States Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].

3. Midwestern United States:

SHORT-TERM PRECIPITATION SURPLUS REMAIN DESPITE FAVORABLY DRY WEEK
Little or no precipitation fell on the Corn Belt and western Great Lakes, but isolated showers dropped up to 50 mm on west-central Illinois, southwestern Michigan, and west-central Pennsylvania. Since September 9, the region received 100 to 310 mm of rain, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 170 mm [WET - Up to 9 weeks].

4. Eastern United States:

DRY WEATHER DOMINATES
Little or no rain fell on the Atlantic Seaboard during the past week as abnormally dry conditions persisted. Precipitation totals (fewer than 50 mm) for the last 4 weeks were among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution. See the United States Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].

5. Canadian Maritimes:

WARM CONDITIONS ABATE
Temperatures were with 3°C of normal across the Canadian Maritimes, with widespread subfreezing lows. The mercury remained below 20°C for the entire week [WARM - Ending at 9 weeks].

6. Uruguay and Argentina:

MORE WET WEATHER
Between 25 and 100 mm of rain fell on northern and central Argentina and Uruguay during the last week. Precipitation totals for the past 8 weeks ranged from 100 to 400 mm, resulting in shortfalls of 50 to 250 mm [WET - Up to 10 weeks].

7. Western Europe and Northwestern Africa:

UNSEASONABLE WARMTH CONTINUES
Temperatures were generally 2°C to 5°C above normal, with weekly departures reaching +6°C on the Iberian Peninsula and +8°C in northwestern Africa. The mercury soared above 30°C across the interior of northwestern Africa and as far north as the Pyrenees of northeastern Spain while readings were in the twenties (°C) elsewhere. Subfreezing lows were confined to mountainous regions and to southern France [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].

8. Southern Europe:

STILL EXTREMELY DRY
Little or no precipitation fell on southern Europe during the past week, except for light amounts (10 to 25 mm) in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and northwestern Turkey. Short-term moisture deficits ranged 50 to 200 mm, with most locations accumulating fewer than 100 mm of rain during the past 8 weeks [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].

9. China and Japan:

WET ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Moderate to heavy rains (50 to 200 mm) soaked Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, southwestern Yunnan, extreme southern Jiangsu and northern Fujian while moderate showers (25 to 50 mm) fell on Guizhou and the remainder of Yunnan. In Japan, moderate to heavy showers (25 to 100 mm) were reported on Kyushu, and torrential rains (more than 100 mm) drenched Shikoku. During the past 4 weeks, precipitation totals of 100 to 700 mm throughout the region were among the wettest 10% of the climatological distribution, and were generally 2 to 3 times the amount expected during the 4-week period [WET - Up to 5 weeks].

10. China and the Korean Peninsula:

WARM CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C above normal across the region, with weekly departures reaching +5°C on parts of The Korean Peninsula. Highs were in the twenties (°C) across the Korean Peninsula and south of 35°N in China while the mercury soared above 30°C across Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan provinces of southern China. Subfreezing lows pushed as far south as 30°N in western China and reached 38°N in South Korea, but readings remained above freezing as far north as 40°N in northeastern China [WARM - Up to 5 weeks].

11. Western Australia:

COOL CONDITIONS REMAIN
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 3°C below normal across western Australia, with weekly departures approaching -4°C in northwestern Australia. Highs exceeded 30°C, except along the West Coast, but lows remained above 10°C at most locations [COLD - Up to 5 weeks].