The outlook for May was issued Thursday from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. Warmer than normal temperatures are in the forecast for the Eastern Seaboard, Gulf of Mexico coastline, and in the western third of the nation. Wetter than average weather throughout most of the Great Plains into the Southeast. Below normal precipitation is expected along the Oregon and Washington coasts.
Uncertainty reigns in our May temperature outlook with mixed signals across much of the interior. Increased chances for above-normal temperatures exist closer to the coasts and across Alaska. Wetter than normal odds are elevated through much of the Plains. https://t.co/JI2DUvhln5 pic.twitter.com/5xo6wZPojX
— NWSCPC (@NWSCPC) April 16, 2020
The CPC noted that the “outlooks outlooks are based primarily on dynamical model guidance, statistical tools, and current soil moisture conditions.” EL Nino or La Nina are not expected to factor in the monthly outlook since sea surface temperatures are predicted to remain neutral.
Forecast models are showing strong signals for above normal temperatures for the West, Gulf Coast and East Coast. Similar strong trends are shown for the Plains and Southeast supporting wetter than average weather. Soil moisture is running higher than normal in the Plains, which will provide a cooling effect and keep temperatures closer to normal