Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf Coast Region for December 2025–February 2026. Dated March 2026.

Winter temperatures were mixed for the Gulf Coast Region with temperatures well above normal in the west and below normal in the east. Winter was dry across a large majority of stations in the Gulf Region.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for December 2025–February 2026. Dated March 2026.

Winter temperatures were well above normal across much of the Southern Region, with stations in the western portions of the Region being four to 8 °F above normal. Anomalies decrease towards the east where temperatures were more moderate. Precipitation was well below normal for almost the entire Southern Region.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf Coast Region for September–November 2025. Dated December 2025.

Fall 2025 temperatures were above normal for the western half of the Gulf Region and near normal in the eastern portions of the Region. Fall 2025 saw well below normal rainfall across much of the Region, with many stations reporting less than 25 percent of normal. This was true for most stations directly on the coast.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for September–November 2025. Dated December 2025.

Fall 2025 temperatures were above normal for the entirety of the Southern Region. The western portions of the Region saw the largest departures from normal, with temperatures running four to six degrees F above normal. Precipitation was below normal across most of the Southern Region during fall 2025, with some isolated totals that were well above normal.

In March 2020, Moderate to Severe Drought (D1-D2) intensified rapidly to Exceptional Drought (D4) along the lower Rio Grande in Texas, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Over the next five years, drought severity waxed and waned across the Southern Plains, shifting location and extent but never leaving the region. Drought touched the lives of nearly every resident of the Southern Plains states (Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas).

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for June–August 2025. Dated September 2025.

Summer 2025 temperatures were near normal for the western portions of the Southern Region, while temperatures in the eastern half of the Region were above normal. Summer 2025 saw below average rainfall in the eastern portions of the Region and along the upper Texas coast. Precipitation was well above normal for Central Texas, much of North Texas, northern Oklahoma, Western Arkansas, and Far West Texas. 

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf Coast Region for June–August 2025. Dated September 2025.

Summer 2025 temperatures were near normal for much of the Gulf Region, with many stations within one degree F of normal. Summer 2025 saw near average rainfall across much of the Region with most stations ranging from 70 percent of 130 percent of normal.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf Coast Region for March–May 2025. Dated June 2025.

Spring temperatures were above normal for the entire Gulf Region, with most stations observing 1°F to 5°F above normal. Precipitation was above normal across much of the Gulf Region in spring, with many stations averaging 150% to 300% of normal precipitation in Deep South Texas, Southeast Texas, much of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for March–May 2025. Dated June 2025.

Spring temperatures were above normal for the entirety of the Southern Region, with most stations running 1°F to 4°F above normal. Most of the Southern Region experienced above-normal precipitation for spring. Stations across much of Oklahoma, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Texas, Deep South Texas, and the Texas Panhandle received 110% to 300%  of normal precipitation.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for December 2024–February 2025. Dated March 2025.

Winter 2024-2025 temperatures were near normal for much of the Southern Region, with most stations running 2°F below normal to 2°F above normal. Precipitation was well below normal in the western portions of the region, with 41 counties in Texas and 8 in Oklahoma observing one of their five driest winters on record.