1. Western Canada and Adjacent Parts of the United States and Alaska:
BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES PREVAIL
Weekly departures of -6°C to -12°C dominated eastern Alaska and
northwestern Canada while weekly mean temperatures were generally 2°C
to 6°C below normal throughout the remainder of Alaska and western
Canada. The mercury plummeted below -20°C north of 55°N and subfreezing
lows covered the remainder of the region [COLD - Up to 7 weeks].
2. Paraguay and Southern Brazil:
STILL UNUSUALLY WARM
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 6°C above normal across most of Paraguay
and southern Brazil, with highs ranging from 26°C to 38°C. The
mercury remained above 20°C in Paraguay and the interior portions of
southwestern Brazil [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].
3. East-Central South America:
HEAVY RAINS RETURN
Torrential rains (100 to 500 mm) drenched scattered parts of extreme northeastern
Argentina while 50 to 100 mm fell on the remainder of northeastern Argentina,
western Uruguay, southern Paraguay, and adjacent parts of extreme southern
Brazil. Since the middle of January 400 to 1020 mm of rain has fallen on
the region, allowing 13-week moisture excesses of 100 to 500 mm to accumulate,
with isolated surpluses approaching 700 mm [WET - Up to 11 weeks].
4. Western Siberia:
COLD WEATHER DOMINATES
Weekly departures of -2°C to -6°C prevailed across western Siberia,
with lows ranging from -10°C to -30°C. The mercury managed to climb
above the freezing mark at most locations, except in the extreme northern
fringes of the region [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].
5. Western Sahel:
ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE
Temperatures were generally 1°C to 2°C above normal across the
region, except for departures of +2°C to +4°C in eastern Mali and
southern Niger. Highs were generally in the forties (°C) and lows remained
above 20°C throughout the western Sahel [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].
6. Southeastern Africa:
RAINS BRING RELIEF TO MOST OF REGION; LONG-TERM DRYNESS PERSISTS
Between 50 and 100 mm of rain brought relief to much of Zimbabwe and scattered
moderate to heavy rains (25 to 200 mm) fell on northeastern South Africa,
but many locations received fewer than 25 mm last week. During the last
13 weeks, precipitation accumulations varied widely from 30 mm to 550 mm,
resulting in precipitation shortfalls of 50 to 300 mm. Unfortunately, long-term
data for Zimbabwe are lacking, but despite the heavy rains, satellite data
indicate the long-term dryness continued across the area [DRY - Up to 14
weeks].
7. Eastern Asia:
WARM ANOMALY SHIFTS NORTHEASTWARD
Weekly departures of +6°C to +12°C covered eastern Siberia from
about 130°E to the International Dateline while departures of +3°C
to +6°C prevailed further west. Meanwhile, colder conditions eliminated
the warm anomaly in much of Mongolia and China. Despite the above normal
temperatures in eastern Siberia, the mercury failed to reach 20°C,
and lows dropped below -20°C at many locations [WARM - Up to 12 weeks].
8. Northern Australia:
DRYNESS PERSISTS ACROSS INTERIOR, BUT NORTH-CENTRAL COAST RECEIVES
WELCOME RAINS
Moderate to heavy rain showers dropped 25 to 200 mm of rain on the coast
of the Northern Territory while the remainder of the region received little
or no precipitation. Although coastal areas accumulated 100 to 400 mm of
rain during the last 13 weeks, moisture deficits ranged from 60 to 410
mm. Meanwhile, fewer than 100 mm of rain fell on the interior since the
middle of January, yielding moisture shortages of 50 to 150 mm [DRY - Up
to 13 weeks].