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.

Heavy rainfall pounded India's Gangetic Plain this week, bring localized flooding to much of northern India. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal are also contending with the excessive precipitation. Perhaps the most important rainfall, however, fell in northeast India, where most states have seen high deficits. Those areas have been trending wetter more recently, and those deficits are now just outside what would be an acceptable, but still unusually dry, growing season.

While not having as dramatic and increase in precipitation, moisture has been increasing across southeast Asia. Burma has watched deficits plunge along with northeast India and Bangladesh. Some of that moisture is now spilling into northern Thailand and down to the coast of Cambodia.  Laos and Vietnam have not seen the same cranking up of moisture, but those countries typically receive moisture from the South China Sea in the form of (usually weak) tropical cyclones. Those have not been as plentiful this year as they typically are.

China meanwhile continues to contend with a major drought across its southern regions. There does appear to be some relief on the way over the next seven days. This week, however rainfall has been concentrated around the Yellow Sea, bringing moderate rainfall to the northeast China coastal areas, along with North and South Korea.