Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for September – November 2019. Dated December 2019.
Autumn temperatures were well below normal across the northern tier of the region while near to above normal temperatures were observed across California and the Southwest. Several areas of the West reported below normal autumn precipitation including northern California, eastern Utah, and western Colorado. Montana, northern Wyoming, northwestern Utah, and the Southwest reported above normal precipitation.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for June – August 2019. Dated September 2019.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March – May 2019. Dated June 2019.
Spring temperatures were variable across the West. The North Pacific storm track remained active through the spring season bringing above normal precipitation to much of the West.
Current Drought Conditions
As California and Nevada move into summer, the region remains drought free as wet conditions continued through the spring. As of June 4 according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 4.32% of California remains abnormally dry (D0) due to long term drought while Nevada is drought and dryness free.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.
Persistent stormy conditions helped to maintain near-to-below normal temperatures across much of the West this winter. Abundant precipitation and moderate temperatures helped alleviate drought conditions in large areas of the West.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for September – November 2018. Dated December 2018.
Above normal minimum temperatures were observed in California, Nevada, and Oregon. Near to well above normal precipitation was observed across much of the Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, and southern UT) with an improvement of drought conditions in this area.
Provides a definition of El Nino; potential winter impacts; the outlook for winter temperatures and precipitation; and a look back at previous El Nino winters.
NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Program created these Outlooks to inform the public about climate impacts within their respective regions. Each regional report contains easy-to-understand language, and anyone can access them through the Drought Portal at https://www.drought.gov/drought/resources/reports.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for June – August 2018. Dated September 2018.
Summer temperatures were near normal across the Inland Northwest and above normal elsewhere in the region, especially in the Southwest. Monsoon precipitation was variable throughout the season, though many Southwest locations ended up with near to slightly above normal precipitation.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March – May 2018. Dated June 2018.
Spring precipitation was above normal in a broad swath from central California northeast into Montana. Well below normal precipitation across much of the Four Corners states; Arizona and New Mexico had their 10th driest spring.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2017 – February 2018. Dated March 2018.
Temperatures were well above normal in the Southwest: Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada all had top-10 warmest December-February on record. Dry conditions dominated the Southwest as well: California, Nevada, and Utah had bottom-10 driest December-February on record.