Africa Update #10

Rainfall continued but was light across much of southern Africa. Meanwhile in the north below freezing temperatures have become widespread in the Atlas Mountains and in the interior deserts.

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Latin America Update #9

A dipole across South America is becoming more defined as very wet conditions in Colombia and Panama contrasts sharply with dry conditions across Brazil. Rainfall has been sufficient for the past month where Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil all come together, but most of the surrounding region remain dry.

Asia Update #9

Cold temperatures are likely to ease a bit across China as more seasonable air moves into the the eastern part of the country. Meanwhile, the drying trend continues in Indonesia.

Africa Update #9

Rains eased up across southern Africa during the last week, but surpluses from earlier in the season have kept anomalies positive. A few areas remain with season-long deficits, but not in the major crop growing areas, nor in the more unstable regions.

Latin America Update #8

Asia Update #8

Heavy rainfall has arrived in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Israel with more moderate totals in Iraq and Iran. Meanwhile in Indonesia a shift in sea surface temperatures is helping to ease rains. Bitterly cold air remains firmly in place across China and the Koreas.

Africa Update #8

More of the same across Africa, wet across the south, dry in the east. Seasonable dryness has continued across western parts of the continent, and in the north there have been a few snowflakes reported in Algeria and Tunisia.

BBC Puts out Pictures of the Colombia Floods

Take a look

Latin America Update #7

Venezuela and most of Colombia caught a break over the last week. Panama, and nearby areas of Colombia, including those adversely affected in last weeks flooding, experienced heavy rainfall. Similar downpours occurred in southern Peru, and near the tri-border area of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

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Asia Update #7

This week in Asia was generally good. Cold temperatures that have been surging southward across central Asia have finally produced snow in Afghanistan and the other central Asian republics. In southeast Asia, rainfall has scaled back, possibly too much in Sumatra and mainland Malaysia. In the Middle East, there has been some improvement, but thus far it has only slightly improved precipitation.

Africa Update #7

East Africa remains dry as what should have been the wet season draws to a close. Meanwhile in the south, heavy rainfall is causing rivers to rise, but promises a good cropping season. Mozambique remains the most affected country, but Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi have also seen in excess of 150 mm (6 inches) of rainfall just in the last week. Across the north, a few frosts are likely.

Latin America #6

We were locked into a pattern in South America. Currently, things are too wet in the north, and we were too dry in the south, but is beginning to change. Flooding and landslides continue to be a problem in Colombia and Venezuela with the potential for the torrential downpours to spread into Panama and Ecuador. Meanwhile, near where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay come together, we have had three days of very heavy rainfall.

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Asia Update #6

A quiet week across Asia. In the southeastern part of the continent, another wet week, but mainly along the Thailand/Malaysia border and parts of Indonesia and Vietnam. In the west, Turkey remains abnormally dry as well as other countries in northern parts of the Middle East, but relief may be on the way. Cold temperatures are settling in across Afghanistan, a good sign of things to come.

Africa Update #6

 I've been warning about the potential for flooding events in southern Africa this season, and it looks like we have the first event so far. Heavy rains were widespread across southern Africa over the last week, but Mozambique received the brunt of the downpour. A few scattered showers and thunderstorms may have brought slight relief to central portions of Ethiopia and Kenya, but seasonal precipitation totals remain very poor.

Qatar to Host World Cup, Plans to Keep Players and Fans Cool

Latin America Update #5

Early freezes have hampered crops in some of the highland areas of Mexico. This was caused by northerly winds, which have also shut down precipitation in much of Central America. Meanwhile in South America patches of poor rainfall are mixed in with areas that have received sufficient moisture. Uruguay, Northern Argentina, Rio Grande do Sul and nearby parts of Bolivia and Paraguay remain parched.