1. North America:
COLD AIR REMAINS ENTRENCHED
Weekly departures of -6°C to -14°C dominated western Canada and
adjacent portions of the United States while readings were generally 2°C
to 6°C below normal throughout most of the central and eastern United
States. Lows plummeted below -20°C as far south as northern Montana
and northeastern Wyoming while subfreezing lows penetrated as far south
as Tennessee and northern Arkansas. Highs generally remained below 30°C
in the central Mississippi Valley and failed to reach freezing across most
of the Canadian Prairie Provinces [COLD - Up to 6 weeks].
2. North-Central United States:
MORE VERY DRY WEATHER
Although 10 to 50 mm of precipitation fell on the extreme eastern fringes
of the region most of the northern Plains and upper Midwest received little
or no rain. The north-central states received fewer than 100 mm of precipitation
during the past 8 weeks, resulting in short-term moisture deficits of 50
to 100 mm at most locations [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].
3. Central South America:
WARM ANOMALY SHIFTS NORTHWARD
Weekly departures of +2°C to +4°C prevailed across southern and
central Brazil and much of Paraguay, but unusually warm weather ended in
Uruguay and northern Argentina. Highs were generally in the thirties (°C)
across the region, but the mercury dropped below 20°C at most locations
[WARM - Up to 6 weeks].
4. East-Central South America:
MOISTURE SURPLUSES REMAIN
Favorably dry weather, characterized by weekly rainfall totals of fewer
than 50 mm, prevailed across Uruguay, northern Argentina, and adjacent
parts of extreme southern Brazil. During the last 8 weeks, precipitation
totaled 200 to 850 mm, resulting in short-term moisture excesses of 100
to 360 mm, with locally higher surpluses approaching 670 mm [WET - Up to
10 weeks].
5. Northwestern Russia:
BITTERLY COLD AIR OVERSPREADS NORTHERN EUROPEAN RUSSIA
Weekly mean temperatures averaged 6°C to 12°C below normal across
much of northern European Russia while weekly departures of -3°C to
-6°C covered the extreme western and southern fringes of the region.
Although the mercury managed to reach above the freezing mark at most locations,
lows generally ranged from -15°C to -30°C throughout the region
[COLD - 2 weeks].
6. Western Africa:
TEMPERATURES MODERATE
Temperatures were generally less than 3°C above normal during the past
week, except for weekly departures around +3°C in eastern Mali. Highs
of 40°C to 44°C dominated the interior portions of western Africa
while readings were generally in the thirties (°C) along the Gulf of
Guinea coast [WARM - Up to 5 weeks].
7. Southeastern Africa:
ANOTHER VERY DRY WEEK
Little or no rain fell on Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana, northeastern South
Africa, and southern Mozambique again last week. Although 13-week totals
varied from 100 to 330 mm in South Africa, and reached as high as 630 mm
in Mozambique, large moisture deficits (100 to 350 mm) continued to dominate
southeastern Africa [DRY - Up to 13 weeks].
8. Southwestern Asia:
WARM WEATHER SHIFTS SOUTHEASTWARD
Temperatures were generally 2°C to 4°C above normal in Pakistan
and northwestern India and across the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
Highs soared into the forties (°C) on the Arabian Peninsula and in
northwestern India, but remained in the thirties (°C) elsewhere. The
mercury failed to drop below 20°C at most locations [WARM - UP to 11
weeks].
9. Eastern Asia:
LARGE POSITIVE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES DOMINATE
An extensive warm anomaly, with temperatures averaging 6°C to 12°C
above normal covered much of eastern Siberia, most of Mongolia, and substantial
portions of central and eastern China while readings were generally 2°C
to 6°C above normal elsewhere. Highs in the thirties (°C) dominated
southern and central China as far north as 38°N while readings in the
twenties prevailed across northern China. The mercury climbed above the
freezing mark across most of eastern Siberia. Lows of -20°C or lower
retreated into Siberia while the mercury remained above the freezing mark
throughout China south of 40°N [WARM - Up to 11 weeks].
10. Northern Australia:
UNUSUALLY DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST
Little or no rain was reported across northern Australia, with the exception
of isolated showers (25 to 100 mm) along the Pacific coast of Queensland.
Since January 6, only 100 to 350 mm of rain has accumulated at most coastal
locations, yielding 13-week moisture deficits of 70 to 440 mm. Meanwhile,
interior stations generally received less than 100 mm since early January,
but only scattered seasonal deficits of 100 mm or more were reported [DRY
- Up to 12 weeks].