A dry week dominated the weather over much of the country with only portions of southern California and in the South along the Gulf Coast recording significant precipitation for the week. The current week started with a significant, even historical, winter storm event that impacted the coastal areas of the Gulf Coast. Several locations set all-time records for snow amounts with some locations in Louisiana having 9-10 inches of snow for the event. Some locations in the Florida panhandle also recorded 6-9 inches of snow during this event.
Midwest
It was a dry week for the region, outside of the far northern tier along the Canadian border where some areas had normal to above-normal precipitation. Temperatures were colder than normal throughout the region with departures of 6-9 degrees below normal except northern Iowa and Minnesota where temperatures were near normal to 3 degrees above. Most of the area stayed the same this week with only some expansion of moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions in Missouri. The recent wetter pattern allowed for some improvements over northern Michigan and into the upper peninsula with a reduction of moderate and severe drought along with abnormally dry conditions.
High Plains
Northern areas were warmer than normal with departures of 3-9 degrees above normal in the Dakotas and northeastern Montana. Colder-than-normal temperatures dominated the rest of the region with some areas of Wyoming 12-15 degrees below normal for the week. Areas of western South Dakota, southwest North Dakota, southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming improved this week as conditions over the last few months were reassessed and the indicators were not aligning with the drought depiction. In many instances the drought is still considered severe or worse, but where the intensity was reduced, it was due to not all the indicators converging to what was being shown. In Wyoming, conditions were improved in the central and southwest where severe and moderate drought as well as abnormally dry conditions were improved. Some extreme drought was extended in the Wind River where snow and precipitation numbers supported the change.
Looking Ahead
Over the next five to seven days, it is anticipated that some of the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest could see some dryness alleviated with rains from northern California to Washington. Precipitation chances appear to be good over the northern and central Rocky Mountains. The most active rainfall pattern is expected to be from the southern Plains into the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic where some areas of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas will see 2-3 inches of rain. Dry conditions will continue in the Southwest and northern Plains along with most of the Florida peninsula.
The 6-10 day outlooks show that the probability of below-normal temperatures is greatest in the Pacific Northwest and across the northern part of the United States into the High Plains. The best chances of above-normal temperatures will be over the Four-Corners region and along the southern tier of the U.S. into the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. The greatest chances of above-normal precipitation will be over northern California into the Great Basin and the northern Rocky Mountains as well as over the Midwest.
Comments