The March 2017 Outlook indicates drier than normal conditions in southern California and eastern Brazil, and wetter than normal conditions in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Paraguay, and Namibia and neighboring African nations. The forecast for many parts of the world is for much warmer than normal conditions including: Europe, Russia, Yemen, Queensland (Australia), Madagascar, Brazil, Cuba, and southwestern Mexico.
The Generational Experience
We are experiencing the warmest weather patterns recorded in the modern record. Do our grandchildren think it is warmer than usual? Would our grandparents have felt that it was generally colder during their lifetime? Can we quantify their generational experience? An analysis of three overlapping statistical baselines allows comparison of three climatological periods, 1910 to 1970, 1930 to 1990, and 1950 to 2010.
Middle East: Water deficits diminish overall but persist in Yemen
The overall progression of water anomalies forecast through October 2017 indicates that widespread water deficits will persist throughout the Middle East, first diminishing in severity through April – with a significant reduction in the extent of exceptional deficits – before increasing in both extent and severity thereafter, particularly on the Arabian Peninsula, southern Iraq, and Iran.
East Asia: Water surpluses in Shanghai, deficits in Inner Mongolia
Water conditions observed in the region through November and forecast through April are characterized by exceptional anomalies, both surpluses and deficits, while the forecast for the latter six months of the 12-month forecast (May through October) shows a decrease in the intensity of anomalies. From February through April surpluses are forecast from Shanghai through northern Hunan. Extreme to exceptional deficits are forecast for southern Mongolia, western Inner Mongolia (China), eastern Yunnan, and northern Taiwan. Moderate deficits are expected in Ningxia, southern Shaanxi, Gansu, eastern Sichuan, the Liaodong Peninsula, eastern Guangxi, and Guangdong. Both deficits and surpluses reaching exceptional intensity will continue to emerge in China’s western half.
Central Asia & Russia: Water deficits in Arctic Russia, surpluses in Kyrgyzstan
Drier than normal conditions will persist in many parts of northern Russia from the White Sea through the Central Siberian Plateau. Surpluses will continue to emerge in northwestern Kazakhstan, down the middle of Kazakhstan through Karagandy Region, and in Kyrgyzstan. From May through July deficits will increase southwest of Russia’s Yamal Peninsula, exceptional surpluses will emerge between the Irtysh and Yenisei Rivers, and moderate deficits will emerge in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.