Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for November 30, 2002

1. Alaska and Western Canada:

VERY MILD CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Temperatures averaged 6°C to 18°C above normal during the past week, with isolated higher departures of +18°C to +29°C in northwestern Canada. The mercury climbed above the freezing mark across most of the region, except in eastern Alaska. Lows generally ranged from -1°C to -20°C throughout the region [WARM - Up to 9 weeks].

2. South-Central Alaska:

MORE HEAVY PRECIPITATION
A steady parade of strong storms dumped 100 to 200 mm of precipitation on Kodiak Island and the Kenai Peninsula of south-central Alaska. Precipitation totals from September through November ranged from 200 to 1100 mm, resulting in moisture excesses of 50 to 400 mm [WET - Up to 12 weeks].

3. Central United States:

A DRY ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Little or no precipitation fell on the central United States last week. During the last 4 weeks, precipitation totals of less than 40 mm were among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].

4. Southeastern United States:

COLD WEATHER DOMINATES SOUTHEAST
Temperatures averaging 2°C to 5°C below normal prevailed across Florida and the southern parts of Alabama and Georgia during the past week. Subfreezing lows penetrated as far south as northern Florida, but highs were generally in the twenties (°C) [COLD - 2 weeks].

5. Central America:

VERY COOL WEATHER REPORTED
Weekly departures of -2°C to -4°C prevailed across Mexico and northern Central America, but temperatures remained above the freezing mark. Weekly highs were generally in the twenties (°C) [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

6. Northern and Central South America:

ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES DOMINATE
Weekly departures ranged from +2°C to +5°C across the northern two-thirds of South America. Highs approached 42°C across northern Paraguay, and generally reached the thirties (°C) throughout the region. The mercury remained above 20°C throughout Brazil and Paraguay, and subfreezing lows were restricted to very high altitude stations in the Bolivian Andes [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].

7. East-Central South America:

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE
Between 50 and 200 mm of rain fell on the region from southern Paraguay and southern Brazil southward through Uruguay. Rainfall totaled 300 to 1100 mm during the last 3 months, yielding moisture surpluses of 100 to 500 mm, with locally higher excesses approaching 850 mm [WET - Up to 14 weeks].

8. Southern South America:

UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS DEVELOP
Temperatures were 2°C to 4°C below normal across southeastern Argentina, with lows near or below the freezing mark, and highs generally below 20°C [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

9. Northwestern Russia:

COLD AIR DRIFTS EASTWARD
Bitterly cold air, characterized by weekly temperature departures of -3°C to -13°C, covered northwestern European Russia, with lows ranging from -20°C to -37°C. The mercury failed to reach the freezing mark throughout the region [COLD - Up to 9 weeks].

10. Central and Southern Europe:

UNUSUALLY MILD WEATHER REPORTED
Weekly departures ranged from +2°C to +10°C, with the largest positive departures (above +8°C) reported in Austria and northern Italy. The mercury soared above 20°C as far north as southern Austria and dominated the central Mediterranean Coast. Many locations throughout the region remained above freezing during the past week [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].

11. Southern Europe:

MORE MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION
Torrential rains (200 to 500 mm) inundated parts of northwestern Italy while heavy rains (100 to 200 mm) soaked the remainder of northern Italy. Elsewhere, moderate precipitation (25 to 100 mm) was reported. During the last 8 weeks, 300 to 1000 mm of precipitation has accumulated, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 200 to 400 mm, with locally higher excesses of 400 to 650 mm in Switzerland [WET - Up to 7 weeks].

12. Morocco:

VERY WET WEATHER CONTINUES
Moderate to heavy rains (25 to 100 mm) fell on northern Morocco during the past week. Between October 6 and November 30, precipitation totals ranged from 100 to 500 mm, resulting in short-term moisture excesses of 50 to 325 mm [WET - Up to 6 weeks].

13. Southeastern Africa:

ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST
Little or no rain fell on northeastern South Africa, eastern Botswana, and southern Zimbabwe as unusually dry conditions prevailed. During the last 4 weeks, the region received fewer than 35 mm of rain, with precipitation totals among the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution [DRY - Up to 5 weeks].

14. Northeastern China:

COLD WEATHER SHIFTS WESTWARD
Weekly departures of -2°C to -7°C covered northeastern China, with lows plummeting below -20°C at many locations. The mercury failed to reach the freezing mark in the region north of 40°N [COLD - Up to 4 weeks].

15. Queensland:

STILL VERY DRY
Little or no rain fell on Queensland during the past week, except for 10 to 50 mm of rain in the extreme southeastern portion of the province. Most areas received fewer than 100 mm of rain during the last 8 weeks, allowing short-term moisture deficits to range from 50 to 100 mm. Much of the remainder of Australia, especially New South Wales, remained very dry, but the normally dry time of the year is approaching [DRY - Up to 10 weeks].

16. Eastern Australia:

EARLY-SEASON HEAT WAVE
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C above normal during the past week, with weekly highs ranging from 35°C to 42°C [WARM - Up to 7 weeks].