Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for December 8, 2001

1. Southern Alaska:

DRY ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Little or no precipitation has fallen on southwestern and south-central Alaska during the last 7 weeks, and only 25 to 50 mm were reported during mid-October. Precipitation shortfalls for the last 8 weeks ranged from 50 to 240 mm [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].

2. Alaska and Northwestern Canada:

ARCTIC AIR COVERS REGION
Large negative weekly temperature departures (-6°C to -13°C) dominated central and southern Alaska and most of the Yukon Territory of Canada while readings were 2°C to 6°C below normal elsewhere. Lows ranged from -41°C to -20°C across the interior portions of Alaska and northwestern Canada, and subfreezing lows prevailed across the remainder of the region. The mercury failed to reach -20°C in central Alaska, and broke freezing only along the immediate coasts [COLD - 2 weeks].

3. Eastern North America:

MORE UNUSUALLY MILD WEATHER
Temperatures averaging 6°C to 13°C above normal dominated the eastern United States and southern Canada during the past week as very mild conditions persisted. The mercury remained above freezing as far north as northern Kentucky, and failed to reach -20°C throughout the region. Highs in the twenties (°C) dominated the United States and southern Ontario while the mercury climbed above the freezing mark throughout southeastern Canada [DRY - Up to 11 weeks].

4. Eastern United States:

VERY DRY CONDITIONS DOMINATE
Little or no precipitation fell on most of the region, with totals of 10 to 25 mm restricted to the Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic. Precipitation totals during the last 8 weeks were generally less than 125 mm, yielding short-term moisture deficits of 50 to 200 mm. Please see the United States Drought Monitor for more details [WARM - Up to 8 weeks].

5. Central South America:

ABNORMALLY COOL WEATHER PREVAILS
Weekly departures of -2°C to -5°C, with locally higher departures to -7°C, covered much of central South America from eastern Bolivia southward to central Argentina. The mercury dropped below 10°C as far north as Rocha, Uruguay (35°S), but readings climbed above 30°C across the region except in eastern and southern Uruguay and eastern Buenos Aires Province of Argentina [COLD - 2 weeks].

6. Uruguay and Adjacent Argentina:

RAINFALL CONTINUES TO ABATE
Between 25 and 50 mm of rain dampened central and southern Uruguay and eastern Buenos Aires Province of Argentina, with 50 to 100 mm reported in northeastern Uruguay. Little or no rain was reported elsewhere. During the last 13 weeks, 300 to 600 mm of rain have fallen on the region, allowing moisture surpluses of 100 to 240 mm to persist [WET - Ending at 15 weeks].

7. Iberian Peninsula:

DRYNESS PERSISTS
Little or no rain fell on the Iberian Peninsula again last week. Total precipitation during the last 3 months ranged from 50 to 400 mm, allowing moisture deficits of 50 to 350 mm to accumulate [DRY - Up to 12 weeks].

8. Eastern Europe:

STILL ABNORMALLY COLD
Weekly departures of -2°C to -8°C dominated eastern Europe as Arctic air bulged westward into Poland and the Balkans. The mercury plummeted below -20°C in western Ukraine and fell below -10°C as far south as Bulgaria. Subfreezing lows dominated the remainder of the region, except for Greece. Readings failed to reach the freezing mark in eastern Poland and Ukraine [COLD - Up to 5 weeks].

9. Turkey:

UNUSUALLY WET WEATHER PREVAILS ACROSS SOUTHERN TURKEY
Moderate precipitation fell on much of the southern half of Turkey, with torrential rains (more than 100 mm) reported along the southern Mediterranean Coast. Between October 14 and December 8, southern Turkey has received 100 to 400 mm of rain, resulting in short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 200 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].

10. Southern Africa:

HEAVY RAINS PELT ZIMBABWE; FAVORABLY DRY ELSEWHERE
Heavy rains (50 to 200 mm) drenched the northeastern quadrant of Zimbabwe while 25 to 100 mm fell on the remainder of the country. The rest of the region received fewer than 50 mm of rain. During the last 8 weeks, precipitation totaled 100 to 430 mm, yielding short-term moisture excesses of 50 to 220 mm [WET - Up to 10 weeks].

11. Asia:

COLD AIR SPREADS ACROSS CENTRAL ASIA
Bitterly cold Arctic air, characterized by weekly departures of -2°C to -9°C, overspread central Asia from western Kazakhstan eastward to eastern Mongolia. The mercury plummeted below -20°C across northern Kazakhstan, most of Mongolia, and extreme northern China. Readings failed to reach the freezing mark across the entire depicted region [COLD - 2 weeks].

12. Northern Japan:

COLD ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Temperatures were 2°C to 5°C below normal across Hokkaido and northern Honshu, with subfreezing lows dominating the region [COLD - 2 weeks].

13. Southern and Western Australia:

UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS PERSIST
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C below normal across much of the region as unusually cool weather continued. The mercury dipped below 10°C as far north as Kalgoorlie (31°S). Highs were generally in the thirties (°C) across the interior regions and in the twenties (°C) along the coast [COLD - Up to 10 weeks].

SPECIAL NOTICE

This is the last week that tropical storm tracks will be depicted in this product. Please check websites of the Tropical Prediction Center and the University of Hawaii for these data and other details. Comments are appreciated. Thank you.