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.

February is forecast to be warmer than usual for the Four Corners region, along the southern tier, and up the east coast, while below-normal temperatures are likely for the Pacific Northwest through Northern Rockies. https://t.co/ZojpnS5Ja5 pic.twitter.com/W2iWu7QmB2

— NWSCPC (@NWSCPC) January 18, 2018

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.

For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Mace Michaels