Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for January 5, 2002

1. Southern and Eastern United States:

COLD AIR PENETRATES TO GULF COAST
Arctic air pushed all the way to the Gulf Coast, resulting in weekly temperatures averaging 2°C to 7°C below normal. Subfreezing lows reached the Gulf Coast, where highs failed to reach 20°C [COLD - 2 weeks]. A winter storm dumped heavy snow (up to 25 cm) on Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, and southern Maryland [Episodic Events].

2. Northeastern Canada:

STILL UNUSUALLY MILD
Unseasonably mild weather, characterized by weekly departures of +2°C to +12°C, dominated Labrador and northern Quebec. The mercury climbed above -10°C at most locations, but lows were generally below -20°C [WARM - Up to 15 weeks].

3. Western Europe:

MORE VERY DRY WEATHER
Little or no rain fell on France and the British Isles, except for 10 to 25 mm in Ireland, Wales, and the southwestern and eastern sections of France. During the last 13 weeks, Great Britain and Ireland received 100 to 400 mm of precipitation, resulting in shortfalls of 50 to 320 mm at most locations. Farther south and east, 13-week totals ranged from 50 to 260 mm across France, yielding moisture deficits of 50 to 210 mm [DRY - Up to 16 weeks].

4. Europe:

BITTERLY COLD AIR COVERS EUROPE
Temperatures were generally 2°C to 6°C below normal across Europe, with weekly departures reaching -12°C in Scandinavia, -9°C in former Yugoslavia, -8°C in Romania, and -7°C in Germany and Austria. Lows plummeted below -20°C as far south as southern Poland and the higher elevations of Greece [COLD - Up to 9 weeks]. The media reported that heavy snow in Athens and around the Black Sea disrupted transportation in much of the area [Episodic Event].

5. Turkey and the Middle East:

HIGHLY VARIABLE PRECIPITATION REPORTED; MOISTURE SURPLUSES REMAIN
Moderate to heavy precipitation (50 to 200 mm) fell along the Black Sea and Mediterranean Coasts of Turkey while light to moderate amounts (10 to 50 mm) prevailed across the interior regions of the country. Meanwhile, 25 to 50 mm of rain fell on extreme northwestern Syria, but little or none was reported elsewhere. Since October 7, precipitation totaled 100 to 700 mm across Turkey and Syria, resulting in 13-week moisture excesses of 100 to 700 mm in western and northern Turkey and in western Syria while 13-week moisture surpluses ranged from 50 to 100 mm elsewhere [WET - Up to 12 weeks].

6. Western Africa:

ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE
Temperatures were 2°C to 6°C above normal across western Africa from the coasts of Senegal and Mauritania eastward and southward to Ghana and the Gulf of Guinea Coast. Highs were generally in the thirties (°C), but approached 41°C in southwestern Mali [WARM - Up to 5 weeks].

7. Southwestern Asia:

MILD WEATHER DOMINATES
Weekly temperature departures of +6°C to +12°C prevailed across Kazakhstan and Iran while readings were 2°C to 6°C above normal on the Arabian Peninsula. Highs exceeded 20°C as far north as southern Kazakhstan while the mercury climbed into the thirties (°C) on the Arabian Peninsula. Subfreezing lows were limited to Kazakhstan and the southern and western portions of Iran [WARM - Up to 8 weeks].

8. Eastern Australia:

HIGH TEMPERATURES PREVAIL
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C above normal across the eastern portions of Queensland and New South Wales. Highs generally ranged from 30°C to 41°C, although the press reported that highs approaching 50°C exacerbated wildfire conditions and disrupted commuter rail transportation around Sydney [WARM - 2 weeks].

9. Southern and Western Australia:

UNSEASONABLY COOL WEATHER PERSISTS
In sharp contrast to the high temperatures to the north and east, weekly temperature departures of -2°C to -5°C dominated southern and western Australia. Despite the negative departures, highs reached 40°C in the interior portions of Western Australia and readings in the thirties (°C) prevailed across the remainder of the area, except along the coast of Victoria. [COLD - Up to 14 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.