Climatological Background  In January, mid-summer monsoon systems are usually at their peak in the Southern Hemisphere over southern Africa, Australia and Indonesia, and South America. In the Northern Hemisphere deep winter has set in, with strong north-south temperature differences driving the mid-latitude jet stream  and storm systems. 

Monthly Mean Temperature (1961-1990), data from the Climate Research Unit, University of East Anglia

Monthly Mean Precipitation (1960-1991),with data from the Climate Research Unit, University of East Anglia

Land Temperatures
Australia:  Slighter colder than average temperatures continued in the southeastern and  western  regions of Australia.
Africa: Southern Africa experienced colder than average temperatures.
Europe:  Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region was colder than average, while northern and eastern Europe experienced warmer than average temperatures.
Asia: Central Asia, east of the Ural mountains through Mongolia, was colder than average, while in eastern Russia temperatures were above average.
North America:  The central and southern United States experienced above average temperatures.  Alaska, British Columbia and parts of the northeast
were slightly colder than average.
 

Temperature Difference from the 1961-1990 mean, with data from NCEP Climate Prediction Center, CAMS.

Precipitation
Australia and Southeast Asia:  Above average rainfall fell in  southwestern Australia northern Borneo and the Philippines.  Below average precipitation  occurred in the eastern half of Australia and New Guinea.
South America:  As the monsoon rains continue to move southward, above average rainfall continued along the north coast of South America, particularly over the Guyanas, and through much of northeastern South America as far south as Sao Paolo, Brazil.  The southeastern coast fo Uruguay and Argentina were drier than average. Northern Argentina, northern Chile and southern Peru received above average rainfall.
Africa: The rainy season in southern Africa has been mixed with above average rainfall in the Congo and southeastern coasts of Mozambique and south Africa but drier regions in Uganda, Tanzania and northern Mozambique. The coast regions of the Gulf of Guinea have experienced unusual rains during their dry season.
Europe:  Rainfall accumulations have been below average through most of western Europe.
North America:  Except for the Pacific Northwest, drier than average conditions  continued to prevail in much of the United States.
Middle East: The rainy season in the eastern Mediterranean has begun with above average totals for January.
 

Precipitation Difference from 1961-1990 mean, with data from NCEP Climate Prediction Center, CAMS-OPI.

Oceanic Conditions
Tropics: In the tropical Pacific Ocean, a moderate La Niña (below average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the  equatorial Pacific)  continues in the central and eastern parts of the basin.  Numerical models are predicting this event to weaken through June.
Extratropics: Above average SSTs continue to persist in a broad band extending from Japan to the west-central North Pacific.  Warmer than average SSTs strengthened to the west of Australia  and along the west coast and southern tip of Africa.
 

Monthly Sea Surface Temperature Difference from the 1950-1979 mean, with data from the Environmental Modeling Center, NCEP/NOAA.