Special Highlight

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Pabuk developed in the western Pacific Ocean south of Japan on the 14th and became a typhoon on the 15th. Pabuk moved to the north and weakened into a tropical storm before making landfall across southern Japan during the 21st-22nd. The storm was responsible for 7 deaths, flooded hundreds of homes and hampered rail, air and sea traffic.

Asia (Click for map)

The Korean Central News Agency reported that heavy rains during early August resulted in 10 deaths and destroyed crops, roads and communications along the coastal areas of North Korea. Scattered rainfall during the summer has provided limited relief to severe drought conditions that have plagued the region during much of 2001. The same system brought rains to neighboring areas of the Russian Far East. Flooding in Vladivostok damaged 1,000 houses and affected 25,000 people. The summer rainy season in Southeast Asia brought flooding to parts of southeast China, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, due in part to a series of typhoons which affected the region. Upstream rains brought flooding to the Mekong River in Cambodia where 17 people were killed, nearly 400,000 villages affected and over 200,000 acres of cropland destroyed. Heavy rains during the 11th-13th resulted in flooding in northern Thailand where at least 100 people died with estimated damages of $4.5 million (U.S.) to agriculture and infrastructure.

Tropical Storm Usagi developed on the 9th in the South China Sea and moved across northern Vietnam and Laos during the 10-11th along with torrential rains and strong winds. Across the Phillippines, heavy rains induced flooding across the central and southern parts of the country during mid-month causing an estimated $8.4 million (U.S.) in crop and property damage and resulting in at least 10 deaths.

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Farther west across southern Asia, summer monsoon rains were quite variable, with above average rainfall across central and eastern areas of India and generally lighter amounts elsewhere. According the the BBC, some of the heaviest rains in 40 years caused considerable flooding in Delhi during the first 2 weeks of August.

Three consecutive years of drought in Iran have caused an estimated $2.6 billion (U.S.) in agricultural losses with water rationing implemented in 30 cities across the country. The Iran Parliament has declared June through December a "water crisis period." Thunderstorms with torrential rains offset severe drought conditions and caused flash flooding in parts of the Golestan and Khorasan provinces just before mid-month, killing at least 500 people and rendering 10,000 homeless. The International Red Cross reported that the ongoing drought in Tajikstan has resulted in 2 years of crop failure and has left an estimated 1 million people in need of food aid. During the first week of August, several days of heavy rains and subsequent flooding in northern Pakistan resulted in at least 183 deaths.

Europe (Click for map)

Upper level conditions in August featured a ridge of high pressure across central and eastern Europe, with a cold trough of low pressure anchored over the eastern North Atlantic. This promoted near to above average warmth across much of Europe and North Africa, with positive temperature anomalies of 1-2°C (1.8-3.6°F) over a large area from Germany and Italy eastward into western Russia. Slightly cooler than average temperatures were restricted to Scandinavia and central areas of the Former Soviet Union (FSU). This same temperature regime was also present throughout the summer. Precipitation was near to or above to the long term average across most of Europe during June-August.

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Australia (Click for map)

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Temperatures were 2-4°C (3.6-7.2°F) below the 1992-2001 average across much of the Northern Territory, with the third coolest August for minimum temperatures since 1950. Temperatures during June-August were below normal over much of the Northern Territory and adjacent areas of South Australia. Above average temperatures of 1-2°C (1.8-3.6°F) were restricted to western parts of Western Australia.

August precipitation was below average in a broad east-west zone stretching across the center of the continent. A series of cold fronts affected the southern coastline with precipitation that was near to or above the long term average. During austral winter (June-August), very wet conditions were observed from northwest Australia to the center of the country where some record rainfall amounts were observed. In contrast, parts of Western Australia reported the driest June-August on record.

Africa (Click for map)

In southern Africa, an upper level trough of low pressure, depicted by negative 500 mb height anomalies, brought unseasonably heavy precipitation to Cape Province and east-central South Africa (150 to 250% of normal) as well as Lesotho. Cape Town experienced heavy rains and flooding during the last 2 weeks of August, as a series of eastward moving low pressure troughs affected the region.
larger image	Across the south African countries, temperatures were also cooler than average during August and also for the June-August period, with departures of -1 to -3°C (-1.8 to -5.4°F) across parts of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Sub-freezing low temperatures were common across much of South Africa during August.

Reuters reported that flooding has displaced tens of thousands of people across northern Sudan, specifically along the Nile River and its tributaries. Heavy rains along the Nile Basin which began in mid-July resulted in flooding that affected the Darfur, Kassala, Nile and Khartoum states. Precipitation during August totaled 150 to 300 mm (5.91 to 11.8 inches). In Ethiopia, the River Omo burst its banks on August 10 displacing around 10,000 people and drowning 300 head of livestock. The Awash River rose above flood stage the following week, displacing another 31,000 people. In contrast, southern areas of Ethiopia remain quite dry with the Somali Region suffering from drought.

North America (Click for map)

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Record warmth in parts of the western United States during the month of August was well correlated with a persistent upper level ridge of high pressure. These positive height anomalies at 500mb were also present during the summer season, and were characterized by warmer than average weather that extended northward into a large expanse of central Canada. Monthly and seasonal temperature anomalies were 1-3°C (1.8-5.4°F) across much of the western U.S. and into central and eastern Canada, while cooler than average temperatures were reserved for the coastal areas of British Columbia.

Tropical storm Chantal made landfall in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on the 21st, bringing over 8 inches (203 mm) of rain to Belize City, Belize.

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Farther south, drought continued in its fourth month across Central America. El Salvador reportedly has experienced the worst coffee harvest in 50 years, while some 740,000 acres of corn, rice and beans have been destroyed by the drought which also affects Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The World Food Program reported that as many as 1.6 million people are suffering from hunger in the region.

South America (Click for map)

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Temperatures during June-August were near average over most of South America, with warmer than average weather across northeastern Argentina and through the tropical areas of the north. Temperatures in these regions were 1-3°C (1.8-5.4°F) above the 1992-2001 mean.

In extreme southern Argentina and Chile, slightly cooler than average temperatures corresponded to greater snow cover during the austral winter, as a series of storm systems brought snowfall to the Andes Mountains. Precipitation across much of Argentina was above normal during August, with agricultural areas located in the east-central parts of the country receiving more than triple the normal monthly rainfall. Much drier conditions prevailed over the far northern countries of South America.

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References:

Basist, A., N.C. Grody, T.C. Peterson and C.N. Williams, 1998: Using the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager to Monitor Land Surface Temperatures, Wetness, and Snow Cover. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 37, 888-911.

Peterson, Thomas C. and Russell S. Vose, 1997: An overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network temperature data base. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 78, 2837-2849.

For all climate questions other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services Division:

Climate Services Division
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue, Room 120
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4876
phone: 828-271-4800
email: ncdc.orders@noaa.gov

For more information, refer also to ...
SSMI Derived Products
Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)
The Blended GHCN - SSM/I Product
The Global Temperature Anomalies

Scott Stephens
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Scott.Stephens@noaa.gov

Jay Lawrimore
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: jay.lawrimore@noaa.gov

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