February Outlook - Warm and Dry South, Cool and Wet Northwest

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issued their forecast today for the upcoming month of February. Warmer than normal temperatures are expected from the Four Corners through the South to the Eastern Seaboard. Below average temperatures are in the forecast for the Pacific Northwest. Drier than normal weather is expected in the South and Southwest, with above average precipitation in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies. https://twitter.com/NWSCPC/status/953992074600370176 With La Nina water temperatures being observed in the Pacific Ocean, the CPC notes that the February forecast was based heavily on weather trends normally seen during a La Nina. The atmospheric pattern across the Northern Hemisphere resembles La Nina conditions, further supporting these thoughts. Model guidance and global trends in the atmosphere were also considered. La Nina (translated from Spanish as “little girl”) is a natural ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean near the equator. It's the opposite of El Nino (“little boy”), which is when warmer than normal water temperatures are observed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAvk4RXrW_E For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Mace Michaels