2001 Weather in Review

U.S. Drought, Floods and Wildfires
Drought conditions plagued much of the western, East Coast and New England states during 2001. April 2001 was the driest month on record for both New York and Maine. During Autumn, drought conditions got worse along the Eastern seaboard. Maine most likely had its driest year in the 1895-2001 record. Year-to-date precipitation for Maine is 3.62 inches below the driest annual value of 30.98 inches set back in 1965.

On the flip side, the Great Lakes and Northern Great Plains states endured wetter-than-average conditions. Precipitation across the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains states was abundant, causing flooding along the Mississippi River in April. And Tropical Storms Allison and Barry wreaked serious flooding along the Gulf Coast states, ending drought conditions in the region.

Although wildfire season began later than usual, it intensified quickly. The season was similar to the 10-year average (1990-1999), although Florida, Nevada, Washington and Oregon had more active seasons than usual. Dry conditions contributed to the problem in these states, but the near-average season follows the worst fire season in more than 50 years. Almost 3.5 million acres burned during the 2001 season.

Additional Global Data
As La Niña faded, cooler-than-normal ocean temperatures throughout the eastern Pacific became more temperate and reached neutral status early in the year.

For more than three years now, drought has continued across the Middle East in portions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Iran. Afghanistan is suffering the drought in 30 years. Much of Siberia and western Asia experienced their harshest winter in decades. Temperatures ranged from -60 F (-51 C) to as low as -94 F (-70 C) during January and February. Heavy snows in South Korea were the worst in 20 years.

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