Weekly Global Climate Highlights Map for November 25, 2000

1. Alaska:

UNUSUALLY MILD CONDITIONS PREVAIL
Weekly departures of +6°C to +10°C dominated the southern two-thirds of Alaska. The mercury climbed above freezing across southern Alaska, and readings were above -10°C elsewhere [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].

2. Northwestern United States:

SHORT-TERM MOISTURE DEFICITS DEVELOP
Only 10 to 50 mm of precipitation fell on the Pacific Northwest as unusually tranquil weather dominated the region. Since the beginning of October, 100 to 300 mm of precipitation was recorded, yielding highly variable shortfalls of 50 to 300 mm [DRY - Up to 6 weeks].

3. United States:

BITTERLY COLD AIR OVERSPREADS COUNTRY; LAKE-EFFECT SNOWS SNARL TRAFFIC
Temperatures averaged 3°C to 7°C across the eastern half of the United States and throughout the northern and central Rockies. The mercury plummeted below -20°C in the central Rockies and along the Canadian border, readings below -10°C reached as far south as central Arizona and northwestern North Carolina, and subfreezing lows pushed all the way to the Gulf Coast and Mexican border. Highs above 20°C were restricted to southern portions of California, Nevada, and Arizona, and to Florida, the Gulf Coast, and coastal regions of the Carolinas [COLD - Up to 4 weeks]. Up to 65 cm of snow buried western New York, snarling traffic and forcing many schools and businesses to close, as lake-effect snow storms were triggered by the cold Canadian air moving over the relatively warm Great Lakes [Episodic Event].

4. South-Central United States:

MORE VERY WET WEATHER
Torrential downpours (100 to 200 mm) inundated central and southern Arkansas, northeastern Texas, extreme northern Louisiana, and northern Mississippi while weekly totals of 25 to 100 mm prevailed across the remainder of the region. Since October 1, the region has received 100 to 400 mm of precipitation, resulting in moisture excesses of 50 to 220 mm [WET - Up to 9 weeks].

5. Northeastern United States:

STILL UNUSUALLY DRY
Little or no precipitation fell on most of the region last week; however, mixed precipitation (rain and snow) totaled 10 to 25 mm across the southern fringes of the region. Cold Canadian air (see item 3 above) cut off the moisture supply until the end of the week when moisture worked its way into the Northeast. Between October 1 and November 25, up to 170 mm of precipitation has fallen on the region, allowing moisture deficits of 50 to 130 mm to accumulate [DRY - Up to 9 weeks].

6. Central South America:

NEAR-NORMAL TEMPERATURES RETURN
Temperatures were within 3°C or normal as unusually cool weather abated. Highs reached 30°C at most locations while lows remained above freezing throughout the region [COLD - Ending at 3 weeks].

7. Western Europe:

WETNESS CONTINUES
Storms again drenched much of England, Wales, France, northern Spain, northern Italy, Switzerland, and southern Norway with moderate to very heavy rain (25 to 190 mm). During the last 8 weeks, 100 to 570 mm has fallen over the area (higher amounts in the Alps), resulting in moisture surpluses of 50 to 350 mm [WET - Up to 13 weeks].

8. Central Europe:

MILD WEATHER CONTINUES
Temperature departures of +4°C to +7°C prevailed over most of central Europe extending from the northern half of Italy northeastward to southeastern Poland and northwestern Ukraine. Readings climbed to as high as 22°C at Brindisi, Italy (41°N) [WARM - Up to 10 weeks].

9. Southeastern Europe and the Middle East:

DRYNESS PERSISTS
Little or no rain again fell across most of the region from the Ukraine and southern European Russia southward to Syria and the eastern Mediterranean. Moisture deficits up to 180 mm have accumulated during this period [DRY - Up to 17 weeks].

10. Southern Africa:

SCATTERED RAIN REPORTED
Moderate rains (25 to 80 mm) were scattered across the eastern third of Zimbabwe while little or no rain eased wet conditions over the remainder of the country. Moisture surpluses during the last eight weeks of up to 200 mm have accumulated in the eastern portion of Zimbabwe, but remained below 100 mm over the rest of the nation  [WET - Up to 7 weeks].

11. Southern Siberia:

COLD ANOMALY PERSISTS
Cold weather continued in southeastern Siberia as temperatures averaged 4°C to 13°C below normal, with the mercury plunging to -46°C at Toko, Russia (56°N) [COLD - Up to 7 weeks].

12. Northern Australia:

COOL WEATHER ABATES
Temperatures were within 3°C of normal, with lows remaining above 20°C. Highs exceeded 30°C across the region, with readings above 40°C in northern Western Australia [COLD - Ending at 4 weeks].

13. Eastern Australia:

SCATTERED HEAVY SHOWERS CONTINUE
Widely scattered heavy to torrential rains (50 to 200 mm) soaked parts of Queensland and eastern New South Wales while nearby areas received only 10 to 50 mm. Since the beginning of October, 100 to 500 mm of rain has fallen, yielding short-term moisture surpluses of 100 to 400 mm [WET - Up to 9 weeks].

14. South-Central Australia:

WARM ANOMALY DEVELOPS
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C above normal across southeastern South Australia and the western half of Victoria, with highs of 30°C to 38°C reported at many locations [WARM - Up to 3 weeks].