Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for October 12, 2002

1. North-Central United States and South-Central Canada:

COLD AIR REMAINS ENTRENCHED
Weekly departures of -2°C to -4°C prevailed across the region from southeastern British Columbia and central Alberta southeastward to northern Nebraska. The mercury plummeted below -10°C as far south as western Montana and northern Wyoming. Highs remained below 20°C in south-central Canada, but climbed above the 20°C mark in the north-central states [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

2. Southeastern United States:

WARM ANOMALY SHIFTS SOUTHEASTWARD
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 6°C above normal across the Southeast from Mississippi and Tennessee eastward to the Atlantic Seaboard. Highs of 30°C to 34°C prevailed from the southern fringes of Tennessee and North Carolina southward while the mercury pushed above 24°C elsewhere. Temperatures remained above the freezing mark throughout the week [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].

3. South America:

STILL UNUSUALLY WARM
Temperatures were 6°C to 9°C above normal across Paraguay, southern Brazil, and extreme northern Argentina while weekly means were generally 2°C to 6°C above normal elsewhere. Highs of 40°C to 44°C covered northwestern Argentina and western Paraguay while readings in the thirties (°C) dominated the remainder of Brazil, Paraguay, northern Uruguay, and the northern third of Argentina. The mercury stayed above the freezing mark from 40°S northward, with lows above 20°C prevailing across Paraguay and western Brazil [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].

4. Uruguay and Extreme Southern Brazil:

TORRENTIAL RAINS CONTINUE
Excessive rains (100 to 500 mm) inundated extreme southern Brazil and northern Uruguay again last week. Eight-week precipitation totals ranged from 200 mm in southern Uruguay to 800 mm in northern Uruguay and southern Brazil, resulting in short-term moisture excesses of 60 mm along the southern edge of the region to 570 mm near the Uruguay/Brazil border [WET - Up to 8 weeks].

5. Central Chile:

UNUSUALLY HEAVY PRECIPITATION REPORTED
Abundant precipitation (25 to 100 mm with locally higher amounts) fell on central Chile during the past week. Precipitation totals of 70 to 400 mm during the past 28 days were among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution, and were 2 to 4 times the amount expected during the 4-week period [WET - Up to 5 weeks].

6. Iceland:

SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES DOMINATE
Weekly mean temperature departures of +3°C to +8°C covered Iceland. Highs ranged from 9°C to 17°C while the mercury remained above the freezing mark at most observing stations on the island [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].

7. France and the British Isles:

SHORT-TERM PRECIPITATION DEFICITS PERSIST
Between 25 and 100 mm of rain fell on favored areas of Ireland, central Great Britain, and the southern and western sections of France while only 10 to 25 mm were reported across the remainder of the region. Fewer than 125 mm of rain has fallen on France and the British Isles during the last 8 weeks, allowing short-term moisture deficits to range from 50 to 200 mm [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].

8. Northeastern Europe:

COLD ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Temperatures were 3°C to 6°C below normal from eastern Czech Republic northward to southern Finland. Subfreezing lows dominated the region, except for some southern locations. The mercury failed to reach 20°C across northeastern Europe [COLD - 2 weeks].

9. Southeastern Europe:

SHORT-TERM MOISTURE SURPLUSES REMAIN
Moderate rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on Greece and extreme western Turkey during the past week. During the last 8 weeks, 100 to 400 mm of precipitation accumulated, allowing short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 230 mm to prevail across the region [WET - Up to 10 weeks].

10. Asia:

LARGE WARM ANOMALY PREVAILS
Weekly departures of +2°C to +7°C covered much of central and southern Asia from northern Saudi Arabia and extreme eastern Turkey eastward to central China. Highs in the thirties (°C) prevailed across the Middle East, Iran, and Afghanistan while reading were in the twenties (°C) elsewhere, except for the higher elevations. Subfreezing lows were restricted to central China and higher elevations of western China [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].