Updated April Outlook is Warmer and Wetter

On Sunday, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) updated their April outlook. Warmer than average temperatures are expected this month over most of the nation, especially in the Southeast and Arizona. Wetter than normal weather extends from the Eastern Seaboard to the South, Plains and Northwest. Only a small pocket of below normal precipitation is expected in North Dakota. https://twitter.com/NWSCPC/status/1112432930415099904 The wetter than average forecast is not good news for the flooded river basins, but good news for drought areas. Drought development is not anticipated anywhere in the nation, but pockets of drought conditions continue in the West. https://twitter.com/NWSCPC/status/1112432607021522944 The initial forecast issued on March 21st had some similarities, but was not as widespread with warmer and wetter conditions. The CPC states that the overall climate background is largely unchanged from a couple of weeks ago, with a weak El Nino still in place and wetter than normal soils in the central and eastern parts of the nation. Forecast models are consistently indicating a warmer and wetter trend from earlier in March, which is the main reason for the changes. For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Mace Michaels