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Climate Information Digest
April 2006 Volume 9, Number 4

A global Quick Look at seasonal climate, its impacts and outlooks.

Hot Topics
  • Drought-related food security continues to worsen in East Africa as the middle of the "long rains" season approaches

  • Heavy rainfall in Colombia during January-April 2006 causes destructive flooding and landslides

  • Record-setting rainfall in February and March causes damaging floods in the U.S. state of Hawaii

  • El Niño/La Niña Update
    Neutral conditions have returned. As of mid-April sea surface temperatures are within 0.5°C of average across the equatorial Pacific. Based on the latest observations and forecasts, the probability of neutral conditions continuing through the Apr-May-June 2006 season is approximately 75%. See the IRI ENSO QuickLook for summary information and the IRI ENSO Update for details.

    Contents
    Special Summaries for Jan-Feb-Mar - regions with enhanced sensitivity due to stress from persistent climate patterns.
       Persistent Cold or Heat
       Persistent Wet or Dry

    March Global Climate - summary of recent variations in temperature and precipitation. Note that all maps are linked to the IRI Data Library. For more maps and information see the IRI Maproom.
       Climatological Background
       Temperatures
       Precipitation
       Oceanic Conditions

    March Climate Impacts - influences of recent climate variations (with links to detailed reports) on:
       Hazards
       Health
       Water Resources/Energy
       Agriculture

    May-June-July Seasonal Forecast - IRI's Net Assessment Forecast for the globe and by region
       Introduction
       Precipitation
       Temperature 
       Methods

    Predictions in Context - provide a climate perspective by displaying a combination of observed and predicted precipitation.

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