Seasonal climate summary. [Global climates summary for June-August 1992]
- NMC/NWS/NOAA, Washington, DC (United States)
The June-August 1992 (JJA 1992) season featured a weakening of the 1991-1992 El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) warm episode and a return toward normal conditions in the tropical Pacific. The sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific decreased rapidly through the season. SSTA less than -1[degrees] were found in the eastern equatorial Pacific in August. The depth of the oceanic thermocline, which continued to decreased from April on, became shallower in the eastern Pacific (120[degrees]W-80[degrees]W) during the JJA season. The outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) index, Southern Oscillation index (SOI), and equatorial wind indices all indicate near-normal oceanic and atmospheric circulations in the tropical Pacific. However, positive SSTA remained in the central Pacific Nino 4 area. In the Northern Hemisphere, below-normal temperatures dominated the landmass regions in midlatitudes except in Europe where above-normal temperatures persisted throughout the season. The unusual coolness during this season may have been related to the June 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. The United States experienced its third coldest and third wettest summer in 77 years according to the National Climate Data Center (NCDC) climate records. The Indian monsoon season started in mid-June, which was later than usual, but overall it was a normal rainfall year, while the drought in the western Sahel continued. Tropical features are reviewed in section 2. The extratropics are discussed in section 3. The Indian summer monsoon and related circulation features are reviewed in section 4. 13 refs., 21 figs., 1 tab.
- OSTI ID:
- 7018057
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Climate; (United States), Vol. 7:2; ISSN 0894-8755
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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