Provides a definition of La Nina; a look back at previous La Nina winters; other factors; and the outlook for winter temperatures and precipitation.

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.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Great Lakes Region for June – August 2020.  Dated September 2020.

Summer was overall very warm across the basin. Several areas of the basin, stretching from Minnesota to Michigan and New York, had one of their top 10 warmest summers for minimum air temperature. In eastern and southern Ontario, temperatures remained above normal almost continuously from mid-June to mid-August.  Summer precipitation was near or above average except in the Erie basin, with the overall basin seeing 105% of average.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf of Maine Region for June – August 2020. Dated September 2020.

Summer was hotter and drier than normal across the region. Caribou and Portland, ME; Kejimkujik (National Park), N.S.; and Moncton, N.B., had their hottest summer on record, while Concord, NH; Yarmouth, N.S.; and Fredericton and St. John, N.B., had one of their five hottest. Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Bas-Caraquet, N.B., had their driest summer on record, while several other sites including Caribou, ME, and Summerside, P.E.I., had one of their five driest.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Northeast Region for June – August 2020.  Dated September 2020.

The Northeast had its third hottest summer at 2.4°F above normal. It was record hot for four states and among the four hottest for seven states.  The Northeast saw 92% of normal summer precipitation, ranking in the middle third of all years. It was among the 20 driest for five states but Maryland's 13th wettest.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Chesapeake Bay Region for June – August 2020. Dated September 2020.

The entire region experienced warmer-than-normal conditions; it was the hottest summer on record for Norfolk, Virginia, and Harrisburg and Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  This summer saw a wide range of precipitation conditions; the northern portions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed had an abnormally dry summer, while the southern and eastern portions of the watershed experienced above normal precipitation.

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

Most of the Great Lakes states had one of their top 10 warmest winters on record.  Winter was drier with the basin seeing 84% of average.  There was below average ice cover due to warm air temperatures and lack of consecutive days below freezing.

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

The entire region experienced an unusually mild winter, which ranked among the ten warmest on record for many sites.  Precipitation departures from normal show that the Chesapeake Bay watershed experienced both more and less precipitation than historical averages. 

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 the Northeast Region for December 2019 – February 2020.  Dated March 2020.

The Northeast had its seventh warmest winter at 4.1°F above normal.  This winter was among the 10 warmest for all 12 Northeast states. The Northeast saw 113% of normal precipitation during winter, ranking in the wettest third of all years.

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