Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for September 14, 2002

1. Eastern United States:

PRECIPITATION DEFICITS DOMINATE
Although as much as 200 mm of rain drenched the Carolinas and up to 100 mm fell on northern New England, most of the region from Arkansas northeastward to New England received fewer than 25 mm of precipitation. Generally less than 250 mm of rain accumulated on the East since June 16, allowing 13-week moisture shortages to range from 50 to 400 mm. Please see United States Drought Monitor for more details [DRY - Up to 24 weeks].

2. East-Central South America:

TORRENTIAL RAINS DELUGE URUGUAY AND EXTREME SOUTHERN BRAZIL
Between 100 and 200 mm of rain drenched central and northern Uruguay and adjacent parts of southern Brazil while 50 to 100 mm fell elsewhere. During the last 28 days, rainfall accumulations of 125 to 225 mm were among the highest 10% of the climatological distributions, and were 2 to 4 times the amount expected in the 4-week period [WET - Up to 4 weeks].

3. Eastern Argentina:

UNUSUALLY COLD WEATHER PREVAILS
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C below normal as cold air pushed northward through Argentina. Highs failed to reach 20°C across much of the area while subfreezing lows dominated most of eastern Argentina [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

4. Northern Europe:

STILL ABNORMALLY WARM
Weekly temperature departures of +2°C to +6°C covered most of northern Europe. Weekly highs generally ranged from 15°C to 29°C, and the mercury remained above the freezing mark, except at higher elevations [WARM - Up to 11 weeks].

5. Eastern Europe:

DRY ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Fewer than 50 mm of rain fell on Poland, the Baltic States, and central European Russia, with many areas receiving little or none. Precipitation totals (less than 50 mm, with locally higher amounts) during the last 4 weeks were among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution for a similar 4-week period [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].

6. Southeastern Europe:

UNUSUALLY WET WEATHER RETURNS
Moderate to heavy rain showers yielded 25 to 100 mm in much of Bulgaria and Macedonia while neighboring locations received only 10 to 25 mm. Between 100 and 250 mm of rain has accumulated since late July, allowing short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 125 mm to prevail across the region [WET - Up to 6 weeks].

7. Southern Africa:

VERY COLD WEATHER COVERS MUCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
Weekly temperature departures ranged from -2°C to -6°C, with the largest negative departures reported in Botswana and Namibia. The mercury dropped below 10°C across most of the region, with scattered subfreezing lows in South Africa. The mercury failed to reach 30°C at most locations [COLD - 2 weeks].

8. Coastal South Africa:

MORE MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION
Abundant rains (50 to 200 mm) soaked the coast of Eastern Cape again last week. Between 200 and 500 mm of rain has fallen along the coast since the middle of June, resulting in 13-week moisture excesses of 100 to 320 mm [WET - Up to 12 weeks].

9. Central Siberia:

WET ANOMALY SLOWLY DEVELOPS
Precipitation totaled 25 to 100 mm during the past week. During the past 4 weeks, precipitation totals of 60 to 180 mm (2 to 4 times the 4-week average) were among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution [WET - Up to 10 weeks].

10. Southwestern Siberia:

ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES REPORTED
Weekly departures of +2°C to +4°C dominated the southwestern portion of Siberia, with highs generally ranging from 25°C to 35°C. Despite the relatively warm conditions, the mercury dipped below freezing in much of the region during the past week [WARM - 2 weeks].

11. Northeastern China:

STILL VERY DRY
Little or no rain fell on northeastern China except for 10 to 50 mm on the northern sections of Shanxi and Hebei. During the last 8 weeks, northeastern China received 50 to 350 mm of precipitation, allowing short-term moisture deficits to range from 50 to 120 mm [DRY - Up to 8 weeks].

12. Southwestern China:

SHORT-TERM MOISTURE DEFICITS REMAIN
Highly variable precipitation (10 to 100 mm) was reported in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou, with the highest totals in the central portion of the aforementioned region. Between July 21 and September 14, precipitation totaled 50 to 500 mm, yielding 8-weeks moisture deficits of 50 to 210 mm [DRY - Up to 8 weeks].

13. Southeastern Australia:

VERY DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST
Little or no rain fell on Victoria during the last week. Since the middle of June, most of the region has received less than 100 mm of rain, yielding 13-week precipitation shortfalls of 50 to 210 mm [DRY - Up to 14 weeks].