Weekly Global Climate Highlights Summary Map for November 9, 2002

1. Alaska and Adjacent Parts of Canada:

LARGE POSITIVE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES PREVAIL
Weekly temperature departures ranged from +6°C to +12°C, with locally higher departures approaching +19°C. The mercury pushed above the freezing mark across the southern half of the region, and lows stayed above -20°C at most locations [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].

2. South-Central Alaska:

ABUNDANT PRECIPITATION CONTINUES
Precipitation totaled 50 to 200 mm across south-central Alaska during the last 7 days. Total precipitation of 200 to 500 mm since October 13 was among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution [WET - Up to 9 weeks].

3. Northwestern United States and Southwestern Canada:

PRECIPITATION DEFICITS PERSIST
Moderate to heavy precipitation (100 to 200 mm) eased the dryness in favored parts of Washington and British Columbia, but most of the area reported only 25 to 100 mm of rain. Despite precipitation totaling as much as 330 mm, 8-week moisture deficits ranged from 150 to 600 mm [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].

4. Western United States:

UNUSUALLY COLD WEATHER DOMINATES
Unusually cold conditions, characterized by weekly departures of -2°C to -5°C, prevailed across southeastern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, western Colorado, and most of Utah. Readings dropped below -10°C at most locations, and the mercury plummeted below -20°C at many of the higher elevations [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

5. Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada:

COLD AIR SHIFTS NORTHEASTWARD
Weekly temperature departures of -2°C to -6°C dominated the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada as the cold air retreated into eastern Canada. The mercury dropped below -10°C as far south as southern New York and southern New England while readings of -20°C or lower penetrated to southern Ontario [COLD - Up to 7 weeks].

6. Central Chile:

ABOVE-NORMAL RAINFALL REPORTED
Between 10 and 50 mm of precipitation fell on central Chile during the last week. Since September 15, the region received 200 to 550 mm of precipitation, resulting in 8-week moisture excesses of 140 to 370 mm [WET - Up to 9 weeks].

7. East-Central South America:

STILL VERY WET
Moderate to heavy rains (25 to 100 mm) soaked Uruguay and adjacent parts of Argentina, and more than 200 mm were reported in isolated parts of Buenos Aires province of eastern Argentina. Between September 15 and November 9, the region received 300 to 800 mm of rain, yielding short-term moisture excesses of 100 to 625 mm [WET - Up to 11 weeks].

8. Europe:

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE
Heavy precipitation (100 to 200 mm) fell on the higher elevations of Switzerland while moderate to heavy rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on the remainder of the region. During the past 8 weeks, 100 to 300 mm of precipitation accumulated across much of Europe, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 200 mm. Larger totals (up to 700 mm) and moisture excesses (up to 500 mm) were reported in the Alps [WET - Up to 10 weeks].

9. Central Scandinavia:

COLD WEATHER PERSISTS
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 7°C below normal in Sweden and Finland during the past week. Lows plummeted below -20°C at many locations, and readings were below -10°C throughout central Scandinavia. The mercury failed to reach the freezing mark across the northern half of the region [COLD - Up to 6 weeks].

10. Eastern Scandinavia:

MOISTURE SHORTAGES REMAIN
Little or no precipitation fell on Sweden and Finland during the past 7 days. Precipitation totaled less than 50 mm since the middle of September, allowing short-term moisture deficits of 50 to 120 mm to accumulate [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].

11. Kenya and Northern Tanzania:

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS REPORTED
Between 100 and 200 mm of rain drenched parts of central Kenya and northern Tanzania while 25 to 100 mm fell elsewhere. During the last 28 days, precipitation totals of 100 to 500 mm were among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution [WET - Up to 5 weeks].

12. Zimbabwe and Southern Mozambique:

UNUSUALLY WET CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Moderate to heavy rains (25 to 100 mm, with locally higher amounts) fell on eastern Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique while 10 to 25 mm of rain dampened the western half of Zimbabwe. During the last 4 weeks, the 100 to 300 mm of rain measured were among the highest 10% of the climatological distribution [WET - Up to 5 weeks].

13. East-Central Asia:

COLD AIR CONTINUES EASTWARD MOVEMENT
Temperatures were 2°C to 6°C below normal across Japan, Korea, and east-central China, with locally larger negative departures approaching -8°C. Subfreezing temperatures pushed as far south as 30°N in China and approached the southern coast of Japan [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].

14. Western Australia:

WARM POCKETS REMAIN
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C above normal in central Western Australia, with highs ranging from 35°C to 40°C during the past week [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].

15. Eastern Australia:

VERY DRY WEATHER CONTINUES
Little or no rain fell on Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria during the past week. Precipitation totals for the last 8 weeks were below 150 mm, resulting in short-term moisture deficits of 50 to 120 mm, with locally larger deficits to 175 mm [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].