Provides a definition of El Nino; the outlook for winter temperatures and precipitation; potential winter and spring impacts; 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 Southern Region for June – August 2018.  Dated September 2018. 

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for March – May 2018.  Dated June 2018.  

Temperatures varied spatially throughout the Southern Region. The western part of the region experienced above normal temperatures and the remainder of the region experienced near normal temperatures.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for December 2017 – February 2018.  Dated March 2018. 

Temperatures deviated slightly from normal this winter for most of the Southern Region. Parts of Mississippi, western Texas, and southeastern Louisiana experienced above-normal temperatures. Winter precipitation varied spatially throughout the Southern Region. Parts of Texas and Oklahoma received five percent or less of normal precipitation.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for September – November 2017.  Dated December 2017. 

Discussion of La Niña in winter; outlook for precipitation and temperatures; impacts on drought, agriculture, and the economy; how past La Niñas have unfolded.  

NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Program created these Outlooks to inform the public about recent 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 Southern Region for June – August 2017.  Dated September 2017.  

Five of six states in the Southern Region experienced cooler than normal temperatures this summer (June–August). This is in direct contrast to this past winter and spring. Precipitation was abundant in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas in August due to Hurricane Harvey. Summer 2017 was the wettest summer on record (since 1895) throughout the entire Southern Region.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for March – May 2017.  Dated June 2017. 

It was a warmer than normal spring (March-May) for the southern region, with all six states reporting warmer than normal temperatures for March, April, and May collectively. The year 2017, at this point (Jan–May), is the second warmest year on record for the southern region.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for December 2016 – February 2017.  Dated March 2017. 

It was a warmer than normal winter (December–February) for the southern region, with all six states reporting warmer than normal temperatures in December, January, and February, with many states having their warmest February on record. Precipitation was abundant in southern Texas, and western Oklahoma. In Tennessee, much needed rain fell to help put out some of the Great Smoky Mountain wildfires.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southeast Region for December 2016 – February 2017.  Dated March 2017.