1. Southwestern Alaska:
SUBNORMAL TEMPERATURES ABATE
Temperatures were within 3°C of normal across southwestern Alaska as
bitterly cold weather eased. Lows still plummeted below -20° across
the region, except along the immediate coast, but highs generally climbed
above the freezing mark [COLD - Ending at 5 weeks].
2. Eastern Canada:
MILD WEATHER SHIFTS NORTHWARD
Weekly departures ranged from +6°C to +15°C across northeastern
and east-central Canada, with highs climbing above -10°C from the Hudson
Bay southward. Lows, however, still fell below -20°C, except in Labrador
[WARM - Up to 14 weeks].
3. Buffalo, New York:
RECORD SNOWFALL BURIES CITY
Unusually severe lake effect snows inundated Buffalo, NY with up to 245
cm of snow between December 24 and December 28, setting a new all-time
monthly record for snowfall. The 90 cm of snow during the 24 hours from
6 AM EST December 27 to 6 AM EST December 28 was the second highest 24-hour
snowfall total on record, only exceeded by 96 cm on December 9-10, 1995.
The heavy snow closed the airport and major highways for several days,
and the National Guard was called up to assist in snow removal, according
to the media. The extreme lake effect snowstorms followed Buffalo's first
snowless November on record, and unusually low accumulation of only about
3 cm of snow during the first 23 days of December [Episodic Events].
4. Southeastern United States:
STILL UNUSUALLY DRY
Little or no precipitation fell on the southeastern United States during
the past week, except for totals of 25 to 100 mm along the central Gulf
Coast. Generally less than 150 mm of precipitation accumulated during the
last 8 weeks, yielding short-term moisture deficits of 50 to 150 mm. Please
see the United States
Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 8 weeks].
5. Western and Southern Europe:
PRECIPITATION SHORTFALLS REMAIN
Between 10 and 50 mm of precipitation fell on the Benelux Countries, the
northwestern half of France, and the Alps while little or none was reported
across the remainder of the region. Precipitation totals for the last 13
weeks varied from 50 to 250 mm, resulting in shortfalls of 50 to 400 mm
[DRY - Up to 15 weeks].
6. Europe:
BITTER COLD REMAINS
Temperatures were 3°C to 6°C below normal across the region, with
locally larger departures in Finland (-15°C), Sweden (-13°C), Norway
(-10°C), Former Yugoslavia (-10°C), and Spain (-10°C). Subfreezing
lows dominated Europe, except for the immediate Mediterranean Coast while
readings plummeted below -20°C across Scandinavia and the higher elevations
of central and southern Europe. The mercury failed to reach freezing across
Scandinavia and much of northeastern Europe [COLD - Up to 8 weeks].
7. Turkey and the Middle East:
MORE HEAVY PRECIPITATION
Torrential rains (100 to 200 mm) drenched the southern coast of Turkey
while totals of 25 to 100 mm prevailed across the interior of Turkey and
in northwestern Syria. During the last 13 weeks, most areas received 100
to 500 mm of rain, with isolated totals of 500 to 1225 mm reported. The
large accumulations yielded 13-week moisture excesses of 100 to 300 mm
[WET - Up to 11 weeks].
8. Western Africa:
HIGH TEMPERATURES DOMINATE
Temperatures averaged 4°C to 10°C above normal across the western
Sahel from the Atlantic Coast of Senegal eastward to Burkina Faso, with
highs soaring above 40°C across the interior of Senegal and in southwestern
Mali, and reading in the thirties (°C) elsewhere. [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].
9. East-Central Africa:
DRYNESS SHIFTS NORTHWARD
Little or no rain fell on southern Kenya and northern Tanzania during the
past week while 25 to 50 mm brought some relief to northern Madagascar.
During the last 13 weeks, Kenya received fewer than 300 mm of rain, allowing
moisture shortages to range from 50 to 160 mm while Madagascar logged 100
to 410 mm of rain, with shortfalls of 100 to 320 mm [DRY - Up to 12 weeks].
10. Southwestern Asia:
LARGE POSITIVE DEPARTURES REMAIN
Weekly departures ranged from +2°C to +7°C from the Arabian Peninsula
eastward to western India. Highs were generally in the thirties (°C)
across western India and in parts of Saudi Arabia, but readings remained
below 30°C elsewhere. Subfreezing lows were limited to Iran [WARM -
Up to 7 weeks].
11. Eastern Asia:
COLD ANOMALY ABATES
Subnormal temperatures, characterized by departures of -2°C to -6°C,
prevailed across eastern China, but near- to above-normal temperatures
prevailed to the north and west. Meanwhile, temperatures were 3°C to
locally 19°C below normal across extreme eastern Siberia. Readings
plummeted below -20°C as far south as west-central China, Manchuria,
and Sakhalin Island while subfreezing lows penetrated as far south as 24°N.
The thermometer failed to reach the freezing mark north of 40°C north
across most of the region while readings remained below -20°C in eastern
Siberia [COLD - Ending at 8 weeks].
12. Eastern China:
A FAVORABLY DRY WEEK
Little or no rain fell on the entire region, providing some relief from
recent wet weather. During November and December, 100 to 400 mm of rain
allowed short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 200 mm to accumulate [WET
- Up to 7 weeks].
13. Central Australia:
WETNESS LIMITED TO CENTRAL AUSTRALIA
Between 10 and 50 mm of rain fell on extreme eastern Western Australia
and southwestern Northern Territory during the past week. Since the end
of September, 300 to 500 mm of rain fell on the region, yielding moisture
excesses of 200 to 400 mm [WET - Ending at 9 weeks].
14. South-Central Australia:
UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS REMAIN
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C below normal this past week, with
lows falling below 10°C as far north as Ceduna (32°S). Highs were
generally in the thirties (°C) except along the southern coast where
the mercury failed to reach 30°C [COLD - Up to 13 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.