Yesterday, December 18th, the National Weather Service released updated 90-day seasonal outlooks covering January through March. The outlook for temperatures shows most of the southern U.S. is likely to trend warmer than average this winter which is not unexpected with the La Nina year taking place. Temperatures are likely to be cooler than average across the northern plains and far northern parts of the Midwest. The lower Midwest and most of the eastern corn belt have equal chances of trending warmer or cooler, which is mostly unchanged from last month.
Notably, the updated precipitation forecast shows a strong possibility of higher than usual precipitation to fall in the eastern corn belt, with the highest chances focused in Indiana. This should help to rejuvenate soil moisture in the area some. The precipitation outlook also expects most of the deep south, particularly coastal Georgia and the Florida panhandle, to continue to deal with dry weather. This is a continuation of the drier conditions that have prevailed in the area for most of the late summer and fall. Drier than average conditions are also expected across portions of southern Texas and New Mexico.
The seasonal drought outlook showed drought improved the most in areas west of the Rockies, and expects areas of the Midwest and Great Lakes with higher than normal snow cover to see reduced drought conditions. Drought reduction is also expected along the Ohio River Valley to the south. Forecasters see the Florida-Georgia line to remain plagues by drought, but expect the more moderate temperatures to slow the intensification of impacts.
