Document Archive

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf of Maine Region for December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.

Winter temperatures (averaged over December, January, and February) ranged from 2°C (4°F) below normal to 2°C (4°F) above normal.  Winter precipitation (accumulated from December–February) generally ranged from 75% to 150% of normal. 

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.

With a warm start and a cold end, average temperatures for the winter were only slightly below normal across the Missouri River Basin. Persistent cold, along with frequent snowstorms during the latter half of winter, allowed the snowpack to build across the Plains.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for December 2019 – February 2020.  Dated March 2020.

Winter temperatures were above normal for much of the region with the west experiencing smaller departures from normal due to a cooler February.  Winter precipitation varied spatially across the region with wetter than normal conditions in the north and east and drier than normal conditions in parts of the west and south.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf of Maine Region for December 2019 – February 2020. Dated March 2020.

Winter temperatures were as much as 4°C (7°F) above normal.  Winter precipitation ranged from 50% of normal to 150% of normal. In Nova Scotia, this winter ranked among the ten driest for the Greenwood and Truro areas.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands Region for November 2018 – February 2019.  Dated March 2019. 

Includes significant events, regional climate overview, and sectoral impacts for November 2018 – February 2019; regional outlook for March – May 2019.  

Long-term drought in the Southwest will continue to impact reservoirs and water supply Weak El Niño conditions developed in January; an “El Niño Advisory” is in effect as of 14 February 2019. ​Since October 2018, the region has experienced mostly wetter and cooler conditions than 1981-2010 normals (Fig 1). Extreme and Exceptional Drought in the Southwest has decreased in extent from 25% in October 2018 to 5% in February 2019 (Fig 2). Several years of above-average precipitation and run-off will be needed to alleviate the water supply deficits r

This Climate.gov feature highlights that the Ogallala Aquifer (which underlies parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming) is drying. This will likely be one of the most pressing issues facing water availability in the Southern Plains regions in the coming decades.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for September – November 2019.  Dated December 2019.

Temperatures in the region averaged below normal in the upper Midwest and above normal further southeast.  The continued wetness of 2019 persisted into the fall.  Year-to-date precipitation ranked among the top 10 in all nine states, with new records in Wisconsin, and the Midwest.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands Region for September – November 2019.  Dated December 2019. 

Includes significant events, regional climate overview, and sectoral impacts for September – November 2019; regional outlook for December 2019 – February 2020.  

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin September – November 2018. Dated December 2018.

Overall, it was a cool autumn across the Missouri River Basin, with widespread temperature departures in the 2-6°F below-normal range.  While precipitation varied across the region, it was a particularly wet autumn for an area extending from eastern New Mexico through Wisconsin.