1. North America:

COLD AIR REMAINS ENTRENCHED

Weekly departures of -2°C to -7°C prevailed across most of Canada and the northern United States, with departures reaching -14°C in northern and central Canada. Temperatures failed to reach the freezing mark across central Canada and as far south as southeastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec while highs in the twenties (°C) were restricted to the southern fringes. Lows of -20°C or lower pushed as far south as 43°N while subfreezing lows dominated the remainder of the region [COLD - Up to 6 weeks].

2. Central United States:

DRY ANOMALY DOMINATES

Only central and eastern Missouri and southeastern Kansas received 25 to 50 mm of rain while the bulk of the central United States reported fewer than 25 mm of precipitation. Since December 15, less than 130 mm of precipitation accumulated, allowing shortfalls of 50 to 230 mm to dominate the region [DRY - Up to 22 weeks].

3. Caribbean Basin:

STILL UNUSUALLY WARM

Weekly departures of +2°C to +5°C persisted across the Caribbean Basin, with highs in the thirties (°C) and lows in the twenties (°C) [WARM - Up to 4 weeks].

4. South America:

ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES ABATE

Temperatures were within 3°C of normal across most of South America, but weekly departures reached +5°C in parts of Brazil and Colombia. Highs generally reached the thirties (°C) across most of South America, and the mercury remained above 20°C across the northern half of the continent [WARM - Ending at 10 weeks].

5. East-Central South America:

STILL VERY WET

Between 25 and 100 mm of rain fell on most of Uruguay, extreme southern Brazil, southern Paraguay, and northern Argentina, with locally higher amounts of up to 200 mm. Precipitation totaled 200 to 600 mm during the past 8 weeks, resulting in short-term moisture excesses of 50 to 340 mm [WET - Up to 8 weeks].

6. Central Europe:

VERY DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST

Little or no rain fell on Europe, except for light amounts (10 to 25 mm) in the Benelux Countries and throughout the Alps. Locally higher amounts (up to 50 mm) dampened eastern Austria and northern Slovakia. During the past 8 weeks, Europe generally received less than 200 mm of precipitation, allowing shortfalls to range from 50 to 180 mm [DRY - Up to 7 weeks].

7. Western Africa:

WARM ANOMALY SPREADS

Temperatures averaging 2°C to 5°C above normal overspread much of western Africa from the Gulf of Guinea Coast northward to the Mediterranean. Highs exceeded 40°C in Senegal and southern Mauritania while readings reached the thirties (°C) elsewhere [WARM - Up to 6 weeks].

8. Southern Africa:

ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES PREVAIL

Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C above normal during the past week, with highs generally in the thirties (°C). The above-normal temperatures exacerbated the dryness in eastern South Africa [WARM - Up to 10 weeks].

9. Southeastern Africa:

VERY DRY WEATHER CONTINUES

Little or no rain fell on eastern South Africa and the southern portions of Zimbabwe and Mozambique last week. Although 13-week precipitation totals approached 400 mm at some locations, most areas received only 100 to 250 mm, and moisture shortages ranged from 50 to 350 mm [DRY - Up to 20 weeks].

10. Central Asia:

COLD AIR CONTINUES EASTWARD TREK

Temperatures were 2°C to 6 °C below normal across eastern Kazakhstan, western China, and extreme northern India as the cold anomaly shifted eastward from southwestern Asia. The mercury failed to reach the freezing mark in northeastern Kazakhstan, and readings remained below 20°C across the remainder of the region except for northern India. Lows plummeted below -20°C in eastern Kazakhstan and western China, and reached the freezing mark across most of the region [COLD - Up to 3 weeks].

11. China and Japan:

MORE PRECIPITATION IN CHINA; FAVORABLY DRY IN JAPAN

Moderate precipitation (25 to 100 mm) fell on China from northern Hunan and eastern Hubei eastward to Shanghai and Jiangsu. Meanwhile, little or no rain fell on Japan during the past week. Since the middle of January, China received 100 to 400 mm of precipitation, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 50 to 200 mm while Japan received as much as 700 mm of precipitation, and reported moisture excesses as high as 270 mm [WET - Up to 7 weeks].