Asia Update #43: Much of Asia Coming into Balance

Moisture deficits are falling across most of Asia, with the exception of southern China. South and southeast Asia continue to get pounded with rainfall, and that is likely to continue. The area around the Yellow Sea in both China and both Koreas has seen greatly improved rainfall. Next week should be very wet across most of Asia.

Asia Update #41: Muifa Heading towards China/North Korea border

Muifa continues to weaken, and is now targeting landfall somewhere near the border near the border of China and North Korea. It may graze western parts of South Korea on the way there. Elsewhere, rainfall continues to look good across most of south and southeast Asia as the Middle East remains seasonably dry.

Muifa heading for China, possibly the Koreas

Asia Update #40: Nock-Ten soaks southeast Asia

Nock-Ten ran up the east side of the Philippines, before running over Luzon, clipping China, and finally hitting Vietnam and Laos, before dissipating. Meanwhile, another storm, Muifa, is heading northward in the Pacific and may pose a threat to China, the Koreas and Japan later this week. Season-long rainfall remains near normal across most of India. In the Middle East, seasonal dryness continues.

Asia Update #39: Rainfall stabilizes over most of India

After months of trying to pin down the Indian Monsoon, it finally has stabilized, leaving out only northeast India, and parts of Bangladesh. Southeast Asia has also continued to improve, although Cambodia is slightly off of it's normal precipitation. Further north very dry conditions have returned to the Korean Peninsula and parts of China.

Ma-on and Dora to miss developing countries

Asia Update #38: Rains Still off Across South Asia

Rainfall is still not where it needs to be across India, this week rainfall concentrated in northwestern India, denying much of the rest of the country of needed moisture. Meanwhile in the Pacific, Ma-on is looking like it will miss the developing east Asian countries, Japan, however is likely to take the brunt of a very powerful typhoon. Southeast Asia picked up much better rainfall over the last week. In the Middle East, conditions remained seasonably dry.

Ma-on Extremely Powerful, Moving Towards Japan, Korea

Asia Update #37: Indian Monsoon Flips. Again

So in an effort to keep me (and all of south Asia) on our toes, the monsoon picked up again across southern India, while slacking off from Nepal to northeastern India, including easing across Bangladesh. That same dryness stretches eastward into southern China, and southward across most of southeast Asia. Looking for an area with too much rain? South Korea has had widespread pockets of flooding over the last week as it has been the target of tropical moisture moving northward. Seasonal dryness continues in the Middle East.

Asia Update #36: Dangerous Dipole in South Asia

A dangerous dipole has set itself up across the Asian subcontinent, and it could have serious consequences if it does not break down. After several weeks of relief from drought, dry weather has unfortunately returned to much of southern China. Moisture is becoming more widely available in southeast Asia, as the Middle East remains seasonably dry.

Asia Update #35: Precipitation Improving Across Asia

It is rare that I can make such a blanket statement about the whole continent, but with few exceptions, most of the areas that are growing crops have seen an improvement in rain. The Koreas and northeast China are getting rain from a very weak tropical storm, Meari. In south and southeast Asia, rainfall has also ticked upward in most areas.

Meari brushes by Shandong Province of China

A weakening and poorly organized Meari has brushed past Shandong province of China, and is now making its way towards the China-North Korea border. The system is not really packing much of a punch. Rains are only moderate, with a few isolated exceptions, and wind speeds are dropping, currently at 40 mph or 64 km/h. The system is rapidly falling apart and will likely dissipate when it reaches land during the next 24 hours, somewhere in either North Korea or in China's Liaoning province. The storm poses no significant threat, even to infrustructure poor North Korea. What rainfall is left, may help ease the dry-spell in northeastern China and along the Korean Peninsula. Unless something unexpected happens this will be the final update on Meari. 

Meari now heading for China

Meari forms east of the Philippines, aiming for Korea

Asia Update #25: Drought Devastating Southern China

Southern China is continuing to face one of the worst droughts it has faced in recent history. Elsewhere, rainfall is slightly off in eastern Bangladesh and northeastern India, but not significantly so. In southeast Asia, rains have progressed northward across the mainland. Light rains continue to fall in parts of Central Asia, eastward to Turkey, after the typical end of the season.