South America Overview in State of the Climate in 2007

PATRICIO LOPEZ; RUSTICUCCI MATILDE

BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY

American Meteorological Society

Año: 2008 vol. 89 p. 124 - 131

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The data used in this section were acquired from 300 meteorological stations by the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of Argentina,rological and Hydrological Services of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Perú, Surinam, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The data were compiled by CIIFEN. In general terms, climate conditions over South America during 2007 were drier than normal in the southern and eastern parts of the continent, very dry over the west, and near normal to wetter than normal in the region north of the equator and parts of the Amazon basin (Fig. 6.21). With regard to temperatures, an unusually cold winter was reported over the southern portion of the continent, while warmerthan- normal conditions prevailed in the Amazonian region. This marked meridional contrast in temperature, between the anomalously warm conditions in the tropics and the lower-than-normal temperature over the southern half of the continent, was observed for 2007 as a whole in terms of mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures (Fig. 6.22). The weak El Niño conditions in January quickly rological and Hydrological Services of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Perú, Surinam, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The data were compiled by CIIFEN. In general terms, climate conditions over South America during 2007 were drier than normal in the southern and eastern parts of the continent, very dry over the west, and near normal to wetter than normal in the region north of the equator and parts of the Amazon basin (Fig. 6.21). With regard to temperatures, an unusually cold winter was reported over the southern portion of the continent, while warmerthan- normal conditions prevailed in the Amazonian region. This marked meridional contrast in temperature, between the anomalously warm conditions in the tropics and the lower-than-normal temperature over the southern half of the continent, was observed for 2007 as a whole in terms of mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures (Fig. 6.22).