BCC global climate monthly bulletin, May, 2022

Recently, Beijing Climate Centre (BCC) has rolled out the first global climate monitoring and forecasting monthly report. It has offered an overall depiction of global climate anomaly (sea surface temperature, temperature, precipitation in the past one month) of May, 2022. It has also analyzed global high impact weather and climate events like rainstorm and flooding, heat wave and drought, forest fire, hurricane, sandstorm, and tornado. It has also encompassed the climate trend projection in July.

In May, 2022, sea surface temperature (SST) in Tropical Central Asia Pacific was lower than that in normal years. La Nina Event continued to develop. The spatial distribution of global land temperature and precipitation varied largely in May. The temperature in Northwest Asia was 4 ℃ higher while the temperature in Northeast Europe was 4 ℃ lower. The precipitation was heavier in southern East Asia, northern Southeast Asia, southern Africa and eastern Australia. The precipitation in central East Asia, western Asia, central and eastern Africa, southwestern North America, most of South America and northern Australia was remarkably less. Extreme weather and climate events occurred frequently in May, in particular, heavy rain, flooding, landslides and mudslides, which have caused heavy casualties in Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh and Brazil.

Global climate anomaly features in May, 2022

Sea Surface Temperature

In May 2022, SST in most of Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean was lower than the same period in previous years, and the La Nina Event in the equatorial Middle East Pacific continued to develop. The SST of North Pacific and South Pacific was higher than that of the same period, respectively.

SST in the tropical Northern Indian Ocean was slightly lower than that in the same period of the previous year, and the SST in the southern Indian Ocean was higher. High latitude SST in the tropical Atlantic and north Atlantic was slightly lower than that in the same period.

Global SST Anomaly Distribution in May, 2022 (Unit: ℃)

Temperature

In May 2022, the temperature in western Asia, eastern Africa, southern and eastern North America, eastern South America and northern Australia was 1 ℃ higher than that in the same period in the previous year. And the temperature in northwestern Asia was more than 4 ℃ higher. The temperature in Eastern and southern Asia, most portions of Europe, northern Africa, northwestern North America, southern South America and southern Australia was 1 ℃ lower.

Global Average Temperature Anomaly in May, 2022 (Unit: ℃)

Precipitation

In May 2022, the precipitation in northeast and southern East Asia, South and Central Asia, eastern Europe, southern and western Africa, northern North America, and eastern and western Australia increased by more than 50% compared to the same period in the previous year. The precipitation in southern East Asia, northern Southeast Asia, southern Africa, and eastern Australia was one time heavier than in the same period.

Global Cumulative Rainfall Departure Percentage in May, 2022 (Unit: %)

Global High Impact Weather and Climate Event in May, 2022

Rainstorm and flooding

On May 2, more than 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes after severe spring flooding battered Canada's central provinces. On May 4, flooding in Afghanistan triggered heavy losses. On May 6, more than 1,000 people in southern Kyrgyzstan were displaced due to mudslides. On the evening of May 19, 16 districts in Bihar, India, were hit by storms and lightning. In mid-May, Bangladesh experienced its worst flooding in nearly 2 decades, trapping about two million people in the northeast of the country. Heavy rains ravaged Pernambuco state in northeastern Brazil on May 23, leaving nearly 6,200 people homeless as of May 31. In late May, about 110,000 people were instructed to take shelter from record torrential rains across Japan.

Heat wave, drought and forest fire

On May 15 and 16, New Delhi, the capital of India, was in the grip of heat wave with temperatures in some areas exceeding 49 ℃. On May 6, the city of Nelson Mandela Bay in South Africa was confronted with water supply cut due to drought. On May 8, a severe forest fire broke out in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.

Hurricane

On May 30, Hurricane Agatha made landfall on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. It weakened as it moved inland and dissipated on May 31. Oaxaca was the worst hit, with more than 40,000 people affected.

In addition, on May 6, a grave sandstorm occurred in Iraq. On May 7, a wind-incurred fire happened in southern Siberia, Russia. A tornado hit Gaylord, a small city in northern Michigan, the United States on May 20.

Major International severe weather and climate events map in May, 2022

Global climate trend projection in July, 2022

It is projected that in July, the temperature in most portions of Eurasia, North America, and northern Africa will be 1-2 °C higher; the temperature in South America, Australia, Africa, and South Asia will be 1-2 °C lower. Precipitation in West Asia, Southeast Asia, northern Australia, and northern South America will be 20% to 50% more than that in normal years. Some regions may be susceptible to regional flooding disaster. Precipitation in West North America, central-southern South America, Central Asia, Europe, and West Africa will be 20% to 50% less than that in normal years.

In recent years, BCC has reinforced the diagnosis of international major weather and climate events cause. In addition to this bulletin, BCC is on track to release 2021 global climate monitoring and forecasting annual report.

Reference: BCC

Editor: Liu Shuqiao