GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
AUGUST 2001
NORTH AMERICA
Central United States and Eastern Canada
Unusually warm weather, characterized by large weekly departures of 6°C to 11°C (12°F-22°F) above normal dominated northeastern Canada while temperatures were generally 3°C to 6°C (6°F-12°F)above normal across the northern and central Plains and western Great Lakes. Readings were generally within 3°C (6°F) of normal elsewhere. The mercury soared above 40°C (104°F) in northwestern Texas and the western portion of Oklahoma and Kansas.
Eastern
Temperatures averaging 2°C to 6°C (4°F-12°F) above normal prevailed across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, with locally higher departures of up to 8°C (16°F) were reported in parts of southern Ontario. The mercury soared to 40°C (104°F) in the vicinity of New York City.
UNITED STATES
California
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 3°C (4°F-6°F) below normal from the Pacific Coast eastward to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
Western United States and Southwestern Canada
Temperatures averaging 2°C to 5°C (4°F-10°F) above normal combined with gusty winds and low relative humidities to aggravate seasonal dryness, especially in the northwestern United States, where wildfires were occurring. Highs exceeded 40°C (104°F) at a few locations in the northern California interior.
Northeastern
Scattered moderate to heavy showers dropped 25 to 100 mm (1.00”-1.00”) of rain on northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, engendering significant flash flooding in the vicinity of Chicago, IL. Similar totals were reported in parts of New England, the mid-Atlantic, and central Appalachians. Meanwhile, less than 25 mm (1.00”) of rain fell on the remainder of the area.
Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada
Moderate to heavy showers 50 to 125 mm (2.00”-5.00”) brought limited relief to north-central Pennsylvania and the Atlantic Seaboard, but less than 50 mm (2.00”) fell on the remainder of the region during the third week.
South-Central
Little or no rain fell on Texas, Oklahoma, and adjacent parts of Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas again last week. Short-term moisture deficits of 50 to 150 mm (2.00”-6.00”) dominated the region.
Mexico and South-Central United States
Except for isolated light to moderate rain showers of 25 to 50 mm (1.00”-2.00”) in parts of Texas and Mexico, less than 25 mm (1.00”) of rain was measured across the region.
CENTRAL AMERICA
Raibfall of 25 and 50 mm (1.00”-2.00”) of rain fell on much of the region, with totals approaching 100 mm (4.00”) in Honduras.
SOUTH AMERICA
Central
Rainfall as light, less than 10 mm (.40”) dominated Paraguay, northern Argentina, and adjacent areas of Brazil and Uruguay.
Temperatures averaged 5°C to 8°C (10°F-16°F) above normal across eastern Paraguay, southern Brazil, and most of Uruguay while weekly departures of 2°C to 4°C (4°F-8°F) prevailed across the rest of the region during the third week. The mercury soared above 30°C (86°F) across Paraguay and parts of southern Brazil.
East-Central South America
Moderate to heavy rain of 25 to 100 mm (1.00”-2.00”) soaked central and western
Uruguay and northeastern Argentina during the past week.
EUROPE
Temperature averaged 2°C to 6°C (4°F-12°F) above normal across a large part of Europe from France, Germany, and the Baltic Sea southeastward to the Caspian Sea. Readings also averaged 2°C to 5°C (4°F-10°F) above normal during the first week across Turkey southward to Israel, Jordan, and northern Iraq.
East-Central Europe
Thunderstorms again brought moderate rains (25 to 80 mm) to southern Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Little or no rain fell on the remainder of the region, easing recent wetness.
AFRICA
Africa
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C (4°F-8°F) above normal across eastern Namibia,
Botswana, Zimbabwe, and northern South Africa, with subfreezing lows occurring
throughout South Africa.
Western
Rainfall amounts of 25 to 100 mm (1.00”-2.00”) of rain fell on the western Sahel region, precipitation totals for the last 4 to 5 weeks were in the lowest 10% of the climatological distribution.
Southern
During the week of the 19th temperatures averaged 3°C to 4°C (6°F-8°F) across southern Namibia and western South Africa while departures were generally 2°C to 3°C (4°F-6°F) prevailed elsewhere.
RUSSIA
Eastern Siberia
Little or no rain fell again across northeastern Siberia, with the exception of scattered moderate showers. Rainfall of up to 60 mm (2.40”) fell across the southern portions of the area.
ASIA
Northeastern
Temperature averaged 2°C to 7°C (4°F-14°F) persisted over an area extending from eastern Siberia southward into north-central China. The mercury reached 35°C (95°F) as far north as Yakutsk, Russia.
East-Central Asia
Thunderstorms brought moderate to heavy rains of 50 to 230 mm (2.00”-9.20”) to parts of the region extending from China's Sichuan and Guizhou Provinces northeastward to southern and central Japan. Some of the heavy rains in eastern China were fueled by the remnants of Typhoon Toraji.
Northern
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 5°C (4°F-10°F) above normal across an area extending from northwestern Siberia southeastward to northern Manchuria and southeastern Siberia. The mercury reached 31°C (88°F) as far north as Acinsk, Russia.
Japan
Typhoon Pabuk swept northward into Japan with high wind and torrential rain. Precipitation amounts of 100 to 200 mm (4.00”-8.00”) drenched the eastern coast of Kyushu, Shikoku, and eastern Honshu. According to press reports, the storm killed or injured dozens of people, interrupted transportation, and caused power outages.
AUSTRALIA
Southeastern
Rainfall of 10 and 50 mm (.40”-2.00’) with isolated higher amounts of up to 100 mm (4.00”) of rain fell on southwestern Victoria and northwestern Tasmania, but the remainder of southeastern Australia received little or none.
Northern
Temperatures averaged 2°C to 4°C (4°F-8°F) below normal across much of Queensland and Northern Territory. The mercury failed to reach 30°C (86°F) in central and southern Northern Territory and the southern and eastern portions of Queensland.