1. Southern Alaska and Adjacent Canada:
UNUSUALLY MILD WEATHER DOMINATES
Weekly departures ranged from +2°C along the southern coast to +11°C
across the central interior. Highs generally ranged from 5°C to 15°C
across the region while the mercury remained above -10°C at most locations
[WARM - Up to 4 weeks].
2. South-Central Alaska:
HEAVY PRECIPITATION CONTINUES
Torrential rains (100 to 200 mm) drenched south-central Alaska again last
week. Eight-week precipitation totals ranged from 140 to 500 mm, yielding
short-term moisture excesses of 50 to 125 mm [WET - Up to 7 weeks].
3. Northwestern United States and Southwestern Canada:
UNUSUALLY DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Little or no rain was observed in northwestern Oregon, western Washington,
and southwestern British Columbia. Precipitation totals for the last 4
weeks were generally less than 100 mm and were among the lowest 10% of
the climatological distribution as the 2002-2003 water year commenced [DRY
- Up to 5 weeks].
4. Eastern and Central North America:
STILL UNUSUALLY COLD
Temperatures averaged 6°C to 10°C below normal across Montana,
the Dakotas, and the Prairie Provinces while readings were 2°C to 6°C
below normal elsewhere. The mercury plummeted below -10°C across the
northern Great Plains and the Canadian Prairies while subfreezing lows
penetrated as far south as the northern Texas Panhandle and extreme southern
Illinois [COLD - Up to 5 weeks].
5. Brazil:
WARM ANOMALY SHRINKS
Weekly departures of +2°C to +7°C were limited to parts of central
and southern Brazil, where highs ranged from 32°C to 41°C [WARM
- Up to 6 weeks].
6. Central Brazil:
UNUSUALLY DRY CONDITIONS REPORTED
Fewer than 25 mm of rain fell on most of central Brazil last week. During
the last 4 weeks, less than 50 mm of rain accumulated at most locations,
with the 28-day totals among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution
[DRY - Up to 5 weeks].
7. East-Central South America:
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS PERSIST
Torrential rains (100 to 200 mm) soaked parts of northern Uruguay and extreme
southern Brazil while moderate to heavy rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on the
region from Buenos Aires province northward through southern Brazil. During
September and October, 200 to 800 mm of rain has accumulated across east-central
South America, resulting in short-term moisture excesses of 50 to
610 mm, with largest positive departures reported along the border of Brazil
and Uruguay [WET - Up to 9 weeks].
8. Central Europe:
SHORT-TERM MOISTURE SURPLUSES REMAIN
Light to moderate rains (10 to 50 mm) fell on much of central Europe during
the past week. Since the beginning of September, 200 to 550 mm of rain
has accumulated on central Europe, yielding short-term moisture surpluses
of 50 to 250 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].
9. Northern Europe:
COLD AIR REMAINS ENTRENCHED
Temperatures were 3°C to 8°C below normal across Finland while
weekly departures reached -6°C in the rest of Scandinavia and -4°C
in the United Kingdom. Lows dropped below -20°C in northern Scandinavia,
reached -10°C across most of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and fell
below freezing in many parts of Denmark and the United Kingdom [COLD -
Up to 4 weeks].
10. East-Central Asia:
COLD AIR OVERSPREADS REGION
Temperatures were 3°C to 11°C below normal across much of southern
Siberia while departures ranged from -3°C to -8°C elsewhere. The
mercury failed to reach the freezing mark in parts of south-central Siberia,
eastern Mongolia, and interior northeastern China. Lows of -20°C to
-29°C dominated Siberia and adjacent parts of Mongolia while readings
below -10°C penetrated as far south as south to 38°N [COLD - 2
weeks].
11. Western Australia:
LARGE POSITIVE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES SPREAD ACROSS WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 7°C above normal across Western Australia,
with highs ranging from 32°C in southwestern Australia to 46°C
across the northern interior region [WARM - 2 weeks].
12. Eastern Australia:
HIGH TEMPERATURES EXACERBATE DRYNESS
Little or no rain fell on much of Queensland and New South Wales last week,
and fewer than 25 mm was reported across most of Victoria. Many locations
received fewer than 25 mm during the past 4 weeks, with many 28-day totals
among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution [DRY - 5 weeks].
Temperatures averaging 2°C to 4°C above normal aggravated the unusually
dry conditions across eastern Australia. Highs soared into the forties
(°C) across interior Queensland while highs in the thirties (°C)
prevailed elsewhere [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].