A broad upper-level trough of low pressure over the central and eastern U.S. during January and early February 1994 brought bitterly cold conditions to those parts of the country. The mercury plunged to -37.8° C (-36° F) as far south as Indiana, and several locations across the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians established new all-time record-low temperatures. In sharp contrast, abnormally mild and dry weather prevailed across the Far West during the 1993-94 wet season, with some areas receiving less than 50% of normal precipitation. Snowpack, vital for adequate water supplies during the May-September dry season, ranged from 50% to 80% of normal across the region. During July and August hot, dry weather engendered numerous wildfires across the West. Beginning in late October, however, surplus precipitation fell on most of the Far West, easing concerns of a second straight subnormal wet season.
In early July Tropical Storm Alberto tracked inland over the Florida Panhandle and stalled over Georgia. As much as 615 mm (24 in) of rain generated widespread severe lowland and river flooding. In mid-November Tropical Storm Gordon pursued an erratic path that took it over Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba; across southern Florida; and then into the Atlantic, where it looped westward, briefly menacing North Carolina’s Outer Banks before drifting back toward Florida as it weakened. The storm killed several hundred people in Haiti and cost Florida an estimated $200 million in damage.
In South America, flooding claimed dozens of lives in Colombia and Peru in February and forced thousands of individuals to flee their homes. In late June and early July, winter temperatures dipped below freezing as far north as Brazil’s Paraná state, damaging the coffee crop. In São Paulo state persistent dryness and heat from August to October cut into Brazil’s orange production.
Frequent storms, heavy snows, and bitter cold afflicted much of Europe in January and February. Excessive precipitation plagued northern Europe through April, while unusually heavy rains also drenched the Middle East, where totals during March and early April were 600-850% of normal. Very dry conditions developed across southern Europe during March; by mid-July hot, dry conditions covered the entire continent. In late September and early October, storms battered the Baltics and southern Scandinavia. On September 28 more than 900 lives were lost when a ferryboat sank in rough waters of the Baltic Sea off Finland.
In February Cyclone Geralda slammed into the island of Madagascar. National officials declared it the "cyclone of the century," with 95% of the main commercial port of Toamasina reportedly destroyed. Geralda and Cyclone Daisy, which struck the island in January, combined to wipe out nearly 300,000 metric tons of the rice crop. In late March Cyclone Nadia crossed Madagascar before striking the African mainland. In Mozambique Nadia left almost 1.5 million people homeless and caused considerable damage to crops, including cashew trees, a major source of income for the nation. Across most of southeastern Africa, unusually wet conditions prevailed during January and February, contributing to an excellent fall harvest. Farther north, copious rains fell on most of the Sahel, resulting in the wettest growing season in 30 years.
Torrential rains spread across much of southeastern Asia during early April and persisted into early May. By contrast, unusually warm and dry weather developed across Korea, Japan, and northeastern China. Although tropical systems battered parts of Japan in late July and early August, prevailing hot and dry conditions severely depleted reservoirs and damaged crops in many parts of the country. Summer dryness in parts of central China was the worst since 1934, causing widespread crop stress. In July and August rains soaked much of south-central and southeastern China and Southeast Asia. Floods took at least 1,800 lives, nearly 1,000 of which, according to press reports, were lost as Typhoon Fred slammed into southeastern China in mid-August.
Following an exceptional midyear heat wave that claimed more than 400 lives, the 1994 Indian monsoon brought abundant rainfall, causing episodes of flooding in India and Pakistan. From January through early April, surplus rainfall was measured across most of Indonesia and southern Malaysia, generating periodic flooding in Sumatra and Java. By June, however, extremely dry conditions developed across Indonesia; they persisted through November, abetting wildfires and crop damage across much of the archipelago.
In January, hot and dry conditions dominated Australia, setting the stage for extensive wildfires across New South Wales, but in February Tropical Storm Sadie brought heavy rains to the Cape York Peninsula, eastern Arnhem Land, and parts of Queensland. Widespread subnormal winter rains combined with early spring dryness to produce serious moisture shortages as the nation’s primary agricultural season got under way. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, portions of the southeastern quarter of the continent endured one of the driest April-August periods on record. At year’s end large moisture deficits accumulated across eastern Australia.
In September El Niño conditions (a periodic appearance of abnormally warm surface waters in the tropical Pacific) developed, and by December they had entered the mature phase. The atmospheric and oceanic changes associated with an El Niño strongly influence temperature and precipitation patterns in various parts of the world. Some effects anticipated for 1994-95 included dryness over northern Australia (September-March), wetness in southeastern South America (November-February), warmth over southeastern Africa (October-April), and coolness along the U.S. Gulf Coast (October-March).
This updates the article climate.