1. North America:
ARCTIC AIR OVERSPREADS CONTINENT
Temperatures averaged 6°C to 14°C below normal from northern Wyoming
and the Dakotas northward to the Yukon Territory and the northern fringes
of the Prairie Provinces of Canada while weekly departures of -2°C
to -6°C covered most of the United States and the northeastern portion
Canada. Lows of -20°C to -42°C dominated Canada and the northern
and central Great Plains while the mercury dropped below -10°C as far
south as central Texas and northern North Carolina. Readings remained below
freezing as far south as North Dakota and Minnesota while highs above 30°C
were restricted to Peninsular Florida and extreme southern Texas [COLD
- 2 weeks].
2. Western Great Lakes:
ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION REPORTED
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 10 to 100 mm across Wisconsin,
Upper Michigan, and southern Ontario, with the 28-day accumulations of
70 to 170 mm among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution for
4-week precipitation [WET - Up to 6 weeks].
3. East-Central United States:
PRECIPITATION SHORTAGES CONTINUE
Little or no precipitation fell on the mid-Atlantic from the Carolinas
to southeastern New York State. Since December 9, 2001, only 80 to 250
mm of precipitation was reported, yielding 13-week moisture shortages of
50 to 160 mm. Please see the United States Drought Monitor for more details
[DRY - Up to 12 weeks].
4. East-Central South America:
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS DRENCH URUGUAY AND EAST-CENTRAL ARGENTINA
FOR THIRD WEEK IN A ROW
Between 25 and 100 mm of rain soaked Uruguay and Buenos Aires Province
of Argentina again last week, with 28-day totals (150 to 425 mm) among
the highest 10% of the 4-week climatological distribution for rainfall
[WET - Up to 6 weeks].
5. Western and Central Europe:
FAVORABLY DRY CONDITIONS REPORTED
Little or no precipitation was reported across central and western Europe,
except for totals of 25 to 100 mm in Scotland, Ireland, and southern Sweden.
During the last 8 weeks, precipitation totaled 100 to 400 mm, allowing
short-term moisture deficits to range from 50 to 200 mm [WET - Up to 9
weeks].
6. Western Asia, Southeastern Europe, and Northeastern Africa:
VERY MILD CONDITIONS RETURN
Weekly temperature departures of +6°C to +15°C dominated much of
European and western Asian Russia while departures reached as high as +9°C
in Turkey, +8°C in southeastern Europe, and +7°C in northern Africa.
Highs soared into the thirties (°C) across northern Africa while readings
exceeded 20°C as far north as central Ukraine. Temperatures remained
above -10°C across the region, except for northern Kazakhstan and northern
Russia [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].
7. Northwestern Africa and Southeastern Europe:
RAINS BRING RELIEF TO NORTHWEST AFRICA; STILL VERY DRY ELSEWHERE
Between 25 and 100 mm of rain brought welcome short-term relief to Morocco
and northwestern Algeria, but long-term dryness remained a concern. Please
see the latest African Threats Assessment for more details. Meanwhile,
little or no rain was reported across the northeastern Mediterranean Basin.
Since mid-January, fewer than 125 mm of precipitation accumulated in Turkey
and southeastern Europe, yielding short-term moisture deficits of 50 to
160 mm [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].
8. Southeastern Africa:
SCATTERED SHOWERS REPORTED, BUT MOISTURE DEFICITS PERSIST
Locally moderate showers dropped 25 to 100 mm of rain on scattered portions
of Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, and northeastern South Africa, but most
of the region received less than 25 mm. During the past 8 weeks, moisture
shortages of 50 to 270 mm accumulated across the region [DRY - Up to 9
weeks].
9. East-Central China:
WET ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Between 50 and 100 mm of precipitation fell on Anhui, eastern Hubei, southern
Jiangsu, and northern Zhejiang while 25 to 50 mm were reported elsewhere.
Precipitation totals during the last 4 weeks (50 to 210 mm) were generally
among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution for the 28-day
period [WET - Up to 6 weeks].
10. Southeastern China:
UNUSUALLY DRY CONDITIONS EVOLVE
Little or no precipitation has fallen on southeastern China for the 4th
consecutive week, yielding 28-day totals (generally less than 35 mm) among
the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution for the past 4 weeks.
Meanwhile, scanty precipitation was reported across the Ryukyus and Taiwan
during the last 3 weeks [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].
11. Central Australia:
MORE VERY COOL WEATHER
Temperatures were 2°C to 3°C below normal across east-central Western
Australia, northwestern South Australia, and southwestern Northern Territory.
Highs were only in the thirties (°C) while lows ranged from 10°C
to 19°C [COLD - Up to 6 weeks].