1. Western United States:
COLD ANOMALY DOMINATES THE INTERMOUNTAIN REGION AND THE SOUTHWEST
Temperatures averaged 6°C to 9°C below normal across northwestern
Utah and northeastern Nevada while weekly departures of -2°C to -6°C
covered the remainder of the West from southern Oregon and southwestern
Idaho southward to the Mexican border. Subfreezing lows covered the entire
West, except along the immediate Pacific Coast, and readings dropped below
-10°C across the Intermountain Region [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].
2. Upper Midwestern United States:
ANOTHER DRY WEEK
Little or no precipitation fell on the region, with all but the southern
and eastern fringes reporting scanty amounts for the 10th consecutive week.
Fewer than 150 mm of precipitation has accumulated across the region since
mid-November, but 13-week deficits of 100 to 200 mm were restricted to
northeastern Illinois and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan [DRY - Up to
10 weeks].
3. Middle Atlantic States:
PRECIPITATION DEFICITS PREVAIL
Fewer than 25 mm of precipitation were measured along the Atlantic Seaboard,
except for totals of 25 to 50 mm in the Tidewater section of southeastern
Virginia. Between December 16, 2001 and February 9, 2002, the region received
30 to 160 mm of precipitation, yielding short-term moisture deficits of
50 to 120 mm. Please see the United
States Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 8 weeks].
4. Eastern Canada:
COLD AIR REMAINS ENTRENCHED
Weekly temperature departures ranged from -2°C to -7°C across eastern
Quebec, Labrador, and the Canadian Maritimes. Lows ranged from -20°C
to -50°C across Quebec and Labrador, but were generally between -10°C
and -20°C in the Maritimes. The mercury failed to reach freezing across
the entire region and remained below -10°C in Labrador and Quebec [COLD
- Up to 4 weeks].
5. Europe:
UNUSUALLY MILD CONDITIONS OVERSPREAD CONTINENT
Significant weekly temperature departures ranged from +2°C in Ireland,
Great Britain, Spain, and Portugal to +9°C across eastern Europe. The
mercury climbed above the freezing mark across most of Europe and exceeded
20°C at many locations on the Iberian Peninsula. Subfreezing lows prevailed
across the higher elevations and the interior portions of Europe [WARM
- Up to 5 weeks].
6. Northwestern Africa:
DRY WEATHER PERSISTS
For the 6th consecutive week, little or no rain fell on Morocco and northwestern
Algeria. During the last 8 weeks, 50 to 125 mm of rain occurred, allowing
shortfalls of 50 to 155 mm to accumulate [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].
7. Turkey:
ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Little or no precipitation has fallen on Turkey for the 4th consecutive
week; however, short-term moisture deficits were generally less than 50
mm [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].
8. Southeastern Africa:
PRECIPITATION DEFICITS REMAIN
Scattered showers yielded 25 to 50 mm in parts of Zimbabwe and northeastern
South Africa, but many locations received fewer than 25 mm of rain. Up
to 220 mm of precipitation has accumulated during the past 8 weeks, resulting
in shortfalls of 50 to 220 mm across the region [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].
9. Central Asia:
VERY MILD WEATHER CONTINUES
Weekly temperature departures ranged from +2°C in southwestern Siberia
to +9°C in central Kazakhstan. Lows were generally below -20°C,
but weekly highs ranged from -1°C to -10°C throughout Kazakhstan
and southwestern Siberia [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].
10. South-Central Asia:
UNUSUALLY COLD CONDITIONS REPORTED
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C below normal in northwestern India,
Pakistan, and adjacent parts of China, with the largest negative departures
reported across the northern portion of the region. Lows ranged from freezing
to -20°C in extreme western China, but the mercury remained above freezing
elsewhere. Highs were generally in the twenties (°C) in Pakistan and
northwestern India, but the mercury failed to reach 20°C in adjacent
parts of China [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].
11. Japan:
A RELATIVELY DRY WEEK
Little or no precipitation was reported across most of Honshu, but 25 to
50 mm fell on the southern coast of Honshu while scattered showers delivered
25 to 100 mm at favored locations along the western coast. During
the past 8 weeks, precipitation amounts varied from 100 to 1000 mm, yielding
short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 300 mm [WET - Up to 7 weeks].
12. New South Wales:
TORRENTIAL RAINS DOUSE COAST
Between 100 and 500 mm of rain drenched the immediate coast of New South
Wales while 50 to 100 mm fell on interior regions between the Great Dividing
Range and the coast. Weekly precipitation totals were large enough to force
4-week precipitation amounts into the upper 10% of the climatological distribution
[Episodic Events].
13. Southwestern Australia:
UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 6°C below normal across most of Western
Australia and the western sections of South Australia, with departures
reaching -7°C in east-central Western Australia and north-central South
Australia. Lows generally dropped below 20°C while highs were in the
thirties (°C) across the northern half of the region and in the twenties
(°C) to the south [COLD - 2 weeks].
14. Southern Indonesia and Northwestern Australia:
EXCESSIVE RAINS INUNDATE INDONESIA; TROPICAL CYCLONE CHRIS LASHES
AUSTRALIA
Between 100 and 500 mm of rain caused significant flooding in parts of
Indonesia, according to press reports. Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Chris
delivered 100 to 500 mm of rain to the coast of northwestern Australia
and 50 to 200 mm to inland locations of Western Australia. Please see the
University of Hawaii
Tropical Storm site for more details [Episodic Events].