Weekly Global Climate Highlights

1. Southwestern Alaska:

COLD AIR REMAINS ENTRENCHED Temperatures averaging 2°C to 9°C below normal prevailed across the southwestern quadrant of Alaska, with weekly departures of -10°C to -13°C reported across the southwestern interior of the state. Lows ranged from -20°C to -45°C, except along the coast, where readings ranged from -5°C to -19°C. Highs above freezing were limited to the Aleutian Islands and the Alaskan Peninsula [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].

2. Northwestern United States:

ABUNDANT RAINS CONTINUE Weekly precipitation totals of 50 to 200 mm across northwestern Oregon and western Washington, allowed 8-week precipitation amounts, ranging from 200 to 800 mm, to generate short-term moisture excesses of 100 to 300 mm [WET - Up to 7 weeks].

3. Central United States:

HEAVY PRECIPITATION REPORTED Between 100 and 200 mm of precipitation inundated the central states from northeastern Texas northeastward to southwestern Indiana while totals of 25 to 100 mm surrounded the aforementioned region. Since October 28, the region has received 150 to 550 mm of precipitation, resulting in short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 310 mm [WET - Up to 6 weeks].

4. Southeastern United States:

ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS RETURN Little or no rain fell on Florida and southern Georgia, allowing unusually dry conditions and short-term moisture shortages of 50 to 200 mm to return. Please see the United States Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].

5. North-Central United States and Southeastern Canada:

VERY MILD WEATHER PREVAILS Temperatures averaged 3°C to 9°C above normal across the north-central United States while weekly departures approached +13°C in parts of Canada. Highs exceeded -10°C across northern portions of Ontario and Quebec while the mercury pushed above freezing across the rest of the region [WARM - Up to 13 weeks].

6. Southwestern Europe:

DRY ANOMALY PERSISTS For the third consecutive week, little or no precipitation fell on southern France and most of the Iberian Peninsula. Although a few stations received 100 to 400 mm of rain during the last 13 weeks, most of the region logged fewer than 100 mm since September 23, and moisture deficits of 50 to 400 mm prevailed across the region [DRY - Up to 14 weeks].

7. Europe:

BITTERLY COLD WEATHER DOMINATES Weekly departures ranged from -2°C to -13°C, with the largest negative departures in Greece and former Yugoslavia (-13°C), Romania (-12°C), France (-8°C), and the Iberian Peninsula (-6°C). Readings plummeted below -10°C as far south as interior portions of the Iberian Peninsula, and fell below -20°C in the Balkans and across the northeastern quadrant of Europe. Highs failed to reach the freezing mark in much of eastern Europe and the higher elevations of central Europe. According to press reports, heavy snow fell on the Balkans and around the Black Sea [COLD - Up to 7 weeks].

8. Turkey and the Middle East:

MORE VERY WET WEATHER Heavy precipitation (100 to 200 mm) drenched western Turkey while moderate amounts (25 to 100 mm) dampened central Turkey and the immediate coast of Syria. Little or no rain was reported elsewhere. Precipitation totals from October 28 through December 22 ranged from 100 to 500 mm, allowing moisture excesses of 100 to 300 mm to accumulate [WET - Up to 10 weeks].

9. Southern Africa:

MOISTURE SURPLUSES REMAIN Between 25 and 100 mm of rain fell on northeastern South Africa while little or none was reported in Botswana and southwestern Zimbabwe. During the last 13 weeks, precipitation totaled 90 to 350 mm, yielding moisture excesses of 50 to 250 mm [WET - Up to 12 weeks].

10. Madagascar and Northern Mozambique:

MODERATE RAINS IN MOZAMBIQUE; MADAGASCAR STILL VERY DRY Weekly rainfall ranged from 25 to 100 mm across northern Mozambique while fewer than 50 mm fell on Madagascar and nearby Indian Ocean Islands. Rainfall totals between September 23 and December 22 ranged from 50 to 250 mm, allowing moisture shortages of 50 to 360 mm to persist [DRY - Up to 11 weeks].

11. Southern Asia:

WARM ANOMALY DEVELOPS Weekly departures of +2°C to +5°C prevailed across southern Asia from the Arabian Peninsula eastward to northwestern India, with higher departures in Iran (+7°C) and Pakistan (+6°C). Highs were generally in the twenties (°C), with readings above 30°C on the Arabian Peninsula and along the coast of Pakistan and northwestern India. The mercury remained above freezing throughout the depicted area [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].

12. Central Asia:

BITTERLY COLD WEATHER CONTINUES Temperatures were generally 3°C to 8°C below normal across south-central Siberia, most of Mongolia, and northwestern China during the past week. Highs above the freezing mark were restricted to the extreme southwestern fringes of the region while the mercury failed to reach -20°C in northern Mongolia. Lows ranged from -15°C to -40°C throughout the depicted area [COLD - Up to 7 weeks].

13. Eastern Asia:

SUBNORMAL TEMPERATURES PERSIST A cold anomaly, characterized by weekly departures of -2°C to -4°C, dominated central and northern Japan, northeastern North Korea, and extreme southeastern Siberia. Subfreezing lows dominated the region, with readings below -10°C in Hokkaido, and below -20°C in southeastern Siberia. Above-freezing temperatures were limited to northern Honshu [COLD - Up to 7 weeks].

14. East-Central China:

LARGE PRECIPITATION SURPLUSES REPORTED Between 10 and 50 mm of precipitation accumulated across eastern China last week. Total precipitation for the last 8 weeks ranged from 100 to 250 mm, resulting in short-term moisture excesses of 50 to 160 mm [WET - Up to 6 weeks].

15. Southern China:

COLD POCKET REMAINS Weekly departures of -2°C to -5°C prevailed across the southeastern third of China, with subfreezing lows as far south as 25°N. The mercury failed to reach 20°C, except along the coastal regions of southeastern China [COLD - Up to 7 weeks].

16. Australia:

UNSEASONABLY COOL WEATHER CONTINUES Temperatures averaged 2°C to 3°C below normal last week. Lows dipped below 10°C as far north as Perth (32°S) and fell below 20°C across most of the region. Despite the cool week, highs exceeded 40°C across interior Western Australia and reached 30°C throughout the region, except for extreme southwestern Western Australia [COLD - Up to 12 weeks].

17. Central Australia:

A FAVORABLY DRY WEEK Little or no rain fell on the depicted area during the past week. Since late October, 100 to 350 mm of rain has fallen on central Australia, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 300 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].

SPECIAL NOTICE

Tropical storm tracks are no longer 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.