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IRI Climate Digest
November 2001
October Global Climate Summary
Climatological Background
During October, the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude storm tracks increase in strength, while monsoon systems in West Africa, South Asia, and southwestern North America continue their retreat southward following the maximum solar heating. Late season tropical storm activity continues in the North Atlantic, the North Pacific and northern Indian Oceans. Spring is underway in the Southern Hemisphere, with mid-latitude storm tracks losing strength.
Monthly Mean Temperature (1961-1990), data from the Climate Research
Unit, University of East Anglia
Monthly Mean Precipitation (1961-1990), data from the Climate Research
Unit, University of East Anglia
Temperatures
Unusually warm conditions return to much of Europe while central Canada and southern Australia see a shift to lower than average temperatures.
Europe: A persistent stretch of unusually warm conditions prevailed throughout most of central and southern Europe during the month.
Australia: Temperatures were well below average across much of southern Australia from New South Wales westward to southern sections of Western Australia.
Asia: Above average temperatures were the rule across much of southern and eastern Asia from the Korean peninsula southward through China southward to Indochina and most of Indonesia. Pakistan and northern India were also much warmer than average during October.
Africa: With the exception of portions of North Africa where monthly temperatures were near average, unusually warm conditions prevailed throughout most of the continent.
South America: Unusually warm conditions were the rule across most of the continent north of the equator. Southeast Brazil, Uruguay as well as sections of eastern and southern Argentina were also much warmer than average for the month.
North America: Cooler conditions returned to much of central Canada following several months of above average temperatures. November was also an unusually cool month along the Gulf Coast states in the US while the desert southwest saw temperatures much higher than average.
Central America: Temperatures were well above average from Belize southward to Honduras.
Temperature Difference from the 1961-1990 mean, with data
from NCEP Climate Prediction Center, CAMS.
Precipitation
Hurricane rainfall punctuates drought in Central America while exceptionally heavy rains continue across the Pampas of Argentina. Much of Europe observes a hot and dry month of October.
Central America: Tropical cyclones brought heavy rainfall to sections of Belize as well as eastern coastal sections of Honduras and Nicaragua.
South America: Rainfall continued to be well above the long term average across much of Uruguay and the Pampas of northern Argentina. October marked a healthy onset to the rainy season across sections of central Brazil. Much of Ecuador and northern Colombia were unusually dry for the month.
North America: The east coast of the US continued to be unusually dry while wet conditions prevailed across the upper Mississippi River basin. Above average precipitation was welcomed in the US Pacific Northwest. Unusually dry conditions persisted across the maritime provinces of eastern Canada while above average rainfall was recorded across much of the province of Quebec. Below average rainfall persisted across much of the Central Plateau in Mexico.
Africa: Unusually dry conditions were observed across much of West Africa while below average rainfall perpetuated drought conditions in sections of southern Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in East Africa. Unusually heavy rainfall fell across much of Botswana as well as central sections of South Africa.
Europe: October was an exceptionally dry month across central and southern Europe eastward to the Black Sea.
Asia: Precipitation was well above average across much of south-central Russia, south of the Urals. Heavy rains fell across much of the Korean Peninsula and southern Japan. Precipitation was well above average across northern sections of Vietnam and Laos as well while a vigorous onset of the rainy season was observed across much of Sumatra and Java in Indonesia.
Australia and New Zealand: Unusually heavy rainfall was recorded across large sections of the Outback in Australia as well as in Tasmania. Below average rainfall persisted across the South Island of New Zealand.
Precipitation Difference from 1961-1990 mean, with data
from NCEP Climate Prediction Center, CAMS-OPI.
Oceanic Conditions
Tropics: Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) continue to remain slightly above average across the central and western equatorial Pacific while slightly below average SSTs persist in the eastern region. Most numerical forecast models continue to indicate near-neutral to slightly warmer than average conditions to persist over the next 6 to 9 months.
The anomalies of the tropical Indian and tropical north Atlantic oceans remain slightly above average.
Mid latitudes: The above average SSTs in the central North Atlantic diminished somewhat over the past month while warmer than average SSTs in the North Pacific strengthened somewhat to the southeast of Japan. SSTs were warmer than average across broad regions of the western and central South Pacific.
Monthly Sea Surface Temperature Difference from the 1950-1979 mean,
with data from the Environmental Modeling Center, NCEP/NOAA.
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