Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for May 18, 2002

1. Southwestern Canada and Northwestern United States:

SHORT-TERM PRECIPITATION DEFICITS ACCUMULATE
Except for 25 to 50 mm of rain on some orographically favored areas along Puget Sound, weekly precipitation totaled less than 25 mm. Four-week precipitation totals of 50 mm or less were among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].

2. Canada and United States:

COLD CONDITIONS DOMINATE
Abnormally cold conditions, with weekly departures of -2°C to -7°C, covered much of south-central and southeastern Canada and the north-central and northeastern United States. Highs were generally in the twenties (°C), and subfreezing lows penetrated as far south as southern Nebraska and northern Indiana. During the weekend (May 18-19), the cold Canadian air began pushing into the eastern United states [COLD - Up to 12 weeks].

3. South-Central United States:

UNUSUALLY DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Little or no precipitation has fallen on the region during the past 6 weeks. Precipitation totals (less than 10 mm) for the last 4 weeks were among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution. See the United States Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].

4. Eastern United States:

SHORT-TERM MOISTURE SURPLUSES REPORTED
Moderate to heavy rains (50 to 200 mm) fell on the Ohio River Valley, southern Great Lakes, and Northeast, with locally heavier amounts in west-central Indiana and southwestern Maine. The remainder of the region received 25 to 50 mm of rain. Precipitation totals for the last 28 days (100 to 300 mm) were among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution, and were generally 2 to 4 times the amount expected in the last 28 days. Despite the abundant precipitation, long-term moisture deficits remain (Please see the United States Drought Monitor for more details) [WET - Up to 6 weeks].

5. South America:

WARM ANOMALY EXPANDS
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 6°C above normal across much of South America from central Brazil southward to central Argentina, with locally higher weekly temperature departures reaching 7°C in parts of Paraguay and Argentina. The mercury soared above 30°C as far south as extreme northern Buenos Aires Province of Argentina while lows remained above freezing across the region [WARM - Up to 12 weeks].

6. East-Central South America:

HEAVY RAINS RESUME
Torrential rains (100 to 500 mm) inundated a swath along the Paraguay-Argentina border and parts of Uruguay, extreme southern Brazil, and Buenos Aires Province of east-central Argentina while most other areas received 25 to 100 mm. During the last 13 weeks, precipitation totaled 150 to 1010 mm, resulting in moisture excesses of 100 to 720 mm [WET - Up to 16 weeks].

7. France:

STILL VERY DRY
Except for 25 to 50 mm of rain near the Swiss border, abnormally dry conditions, characterized by little or no rain, dominated most of France. Precipitation totals during the last 13 weeks ranged from 80 to 220 mm, allowing moisture deficits of 50 to 100 mm to accumulate [DRY - Up to 11 weeks].

8. North-Central Europe:

UNUSUALLY WARM WEATHER CONTINUES
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C above normal during the past week, with highs in the twenties (°C) across the entire region. Subfreezing lows were restricted to southern Scandinavia [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].

9. Southwestern Asia:

UNUSUALLY COLD AIR PENETRATES SOUTHWARD
Weekly departures of -2°C to -6°C dominated southwestern Asia around the Caspian and Aral Seas and pushed as far southwest as Syria. Highs were in the thirties (°C) across Syria and Iran, but remained in the twenties (°C) elsewhere. Lows were generally between 1°C and 15°C [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].

10. South-Central Asia:

HEAT WAVE CONTINUES
Premonsoonal heat, characterized by weekly departures of +2°C to +6°C, prevailed across Pakistan and the northwestern and east-central portions of India. Highs were generally in the forties (°C) and lows were generally in the twenties (°C) across the region. Media reports indicated that many lives were lost due to the heat [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].

11. East-Central China:

COLD ANOMALY ABATES
Temperatures were generally with 3°C of normal as the cold weather eased across east-central China. The mercury failed to reach 30°C in the region, but readings remained above the freezing mark [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].

12. China:

VERY WET WEATHER PERSISTS
Moderate to heavy rains (50 to 200 mm) drenched much of China from Yunnan and eastern Sichuan eastward to Jiangxi and Anhui while 10 to 50 mm were reported elsewhere. Between 100 and 750 mm of precipitation has fallen on the region during the past 8 weeks, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 100 to 350 mm along the Yangtze River and 50 to 200 mm elsewhere [WET - Up to 8 weeks].