The final month of summer will likely bring warmer than normal temperatures to the Northwest, Eastern Seaboard, and southern tier of the nation. That’s according to the NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, who updated their August forecast on Wednesday. Summer may end on a cooler note from the Ohio Valley to the Northern and High Plains. This is an expansion from the previous forecast, issued a couple of weeks ago.
Below-normal temperatures are favored across much of the Central part of the country during August, while odds are increased for a relatively wet month across much of the Rockies. https://t.co/JI2DUuZKvx pic.twitter.com/Kf5gjk48KK
— NWSCPC (@NWSCPC) August 1, 2019
A busy monsoon pattern will likely lead to above average precipitation in the Missouri Valley, Rockies, and Southwest. This is a shift southward from the previous forecast. An active rainy season and tropical pattern may produce wetter than normal conditions in the southern half of Florida. Drier than normal weather is still in the forecast for the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Rio Grande of Texas, which may lead to drought development in these regions. The drought in the Pacific Northwest is expected to persist.
Expansion and persistence of #drought during August appears likely across parts of the Pacific Northwest, Southern Plains, Great Lakes, and Midwest despite the historically low levels being observed at the start of the month. https://t.co/9pT87Dasbb pic.twitter.com/K5rFnRWp6u
— NWSCPC (@NWSCPC) August 1, 2019
The Climate Prediction Center noted that the main forecast influences were global patterns, model guidance, current soil moisture, and variability in the tropics. As moist soil conditions continue in the Plains, this signal point to a cooler than normal month, even with a drier forecast. Global patterns and long term trends favor the warmer than average forecast for most of the East, South, and West.
For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Mace Michaels