While the warm Atlantic has energized a higher than normal number of tropical storms, high altitude dust from the Sahara and sheering winds have kept all but 2 of the storms from growing into hurricanes. This should continue through most of the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season.

In the US, a heavy monsoon has lessened, but not eliminated Western drought. Dry/ drought-stricken weather now covers 61.9% of the contiguous US. The monsoon carried moisture from Pacific hurricanes to Colorado, causing flooding.

Snow arrived two weeks early and indications are that mid-autumn harvest season and winter will be cold in the Midwest and East Coast and dry in California.

Recent reports indicate that the European grain harvest is better than last year but 1.5% lower the 5 year average due to last August's heat surge.

Both the Atlantic and the Arctic air mass are positioned to create a cold winter in Western Europe with high heating demand.

David Fuller's view Weather conditions in 2013 were sufficiently benign to improve most agricultural crop yields on a global basis. This was extremely good news given the previous seven near Biblical years of insufficient agricultural food production. However, a good crop year is also required in 2014 to re-establish buffer stocks of staple grains and beans.