Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for April 20, 2002

1. Southeastern Alaska and Western Canada:

COLD AIR REMAINS ENTRENCHED
Weekly departures of -2°C to -7°C dominated southern and eastern Alaska and much of western Canada, with the mercury remaining below 10°C throughout the week. Lows plummeted below -20°C in parts of eastern Alaska and southwestern Yukon while subfreezing lows covered the entire region [COLD - Up to 8 weeks].

2. Central, Eastern, and Southern United States:

HIGH TEMPERATURES DOMINATE
An early season heat wave, characterized by weekly departures of +4°C to +12°C, spread across much of the United States from the Great Plains to the Atlantic Seaboard. Record to near-record high temperatures of 27°C to 37°C dominated the central and eastern United States for several days before colder air ended the hot weather [Episodic Event].

3. Brazil and Paraguay:

STILL ABNORMALLY WARM
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 6°C above normal across Paraguay and much of southern Brazil, with highs of 30°C to 37°C covering most of the region [WARM - Up to 8 weeks].

4. East-Central South America:

HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE
Moderate to heavy precipitation (25 to 200 mm) inundated Uruguay and eastern Buenos Aires province of Argentina while 10 to 50 mm of rain were reported elsewhere. During the past 3 months, precipitation totals ranged from 100 mm just east of the Andes to over 1100 mm in parts of Uruguay and northeastern Argentina, allowing 13-week moisture excesses of up to 720 mm to accumulate [WET - Up to 12 weeks].

5. Central Sahel:

WARM CONDITIONS ABATE
Near-normal temperatures, with departures of up to +2°C, covered most of the central Sahel, but readings were up to 4°C above normal in east-central Niger. Weekly highs ranged from 40°C to 45°C, and the mercury remained above 20°C throughout the week [WARM - Ending at 7 weeks].

6. Southeastern Africa:

PRECIPITATION DEFICITS REMAIN AS DRY SEASON APPROACHES
Scattered light to moderate rain showers delivered 10 to 100 mm of rain to northeastern South Africa while heavier precipitation (25 to 200 mm) brought some relief to Zimbabwe. During the last 13 weeks, precipitation totaled 100 to 500 mm in Mozambique, 30 to 300 mm in Zimbabwe, and 30 to 400 mm in northeastern South Africa, yielding moisture deficits of 100 to 260 mm across the region as the normally dry time of year approaches [DRY - Ending at 15 weeks].

7. Eastern Asia:

WARM WEATHER LIMITED TO JAPAN AND KOREA
Temperatures were generally within 3°C of normal across China, the southern and western sections of the Korean Peninsula, and southern Japan while departures of +3°C to +6°C prevailed across northeastern North Korea and the central and northern portions of Japan. Despite above normal temperatures, weekly highs were generally in the twenties (°C), with scattered thirties (°C) reported in China. Subfreezing lows were restricted to the higher elevations [WARM - Up to 13 weeks].

8. Northern Australia:

MORE VERY DRY WEATHER
Little or no rain has fallen on much of northern Australia, except for a few isolated totals of 10 to 50 mm on the extreme north-central coast. Since January 20, northern Australia has received 170 to 500 mm of rain, resulting in precipitation shortfalls of 100 to 800 mm [DRY - Up to 14 weeks].

9. South-Central Australia:

A WARM ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Weekly departures of +2°C to +7°C prevailed across eastern South Australia, western New South Wales, and northwestern Victoria, with highs of 25°C to 35°C covering the region [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].