NOAA and its partners have released the latest Regional Climate Impacts and Outlooks, which recap spring conditions and provide insight into what might be expected this summer.
Spring Temperature Recap
Temperatures were above average across much of the West and from the northern and central Plains to the Northeast and along much of the East Coast. Maine ranked seventh warmest for spring. No state across the Lower 48 ranked below average for the season. The Alaska spring temperature was 24.4°F, 0.5°F above the long-term average, ranking in the middle third of the record for the state. This was the coolest spring across Alaska since 2013. Temperatures were above average across the Aleutians and portions of northern Alaska and below average across parts of eastern-interior Alaska.
Summer Temperature Outlook
The July-August-September (JAS) 2021 temperature outlook favors above-normal temperatures for Alaska, the western half of the contiguous United States (CONUS), the eastern quarter of the CONUS, and the Northern Plains, with the highest probabilities (greater than 60 percent) forecast across the Northeast.
Spring Precipitation Recap
Spring precipitation was above average from the central High Plains to the Mississippi River and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana ranked fourth wettest for the season. Precipitation during March–May was below average across much of the West, Great Lakes, and East Coast. Idaho, Oregon, and the state of Washington ranked second driest for the spring season while California ranked fourth driest.
Summer Precipitation Outlook
The summer 2021 precipitation outlook depicts enhanced probabilities of below-normal precipitation across the Pacific Northwest, Rockies, and parts of the High Plains. Above-normal precipitation is more likely from the Eastern Seaboard to the Lower Mississippi Valley and parts of the Southern Plains. Above-normal precipitation is slightly favored for parts of northwestern Alaska. Equal chances (EC) are forecast for areas where probabilities for each category of seasonal mean temperatures and seasonal accumulated precipitation amounts are expected to be similar to climatological probabilities.
Impacts and Outlooks for Your Region
Get more details for your region in the June 2021 climate impacts and outlooks summaries:
- Alaska and Northwestern Canada Region
- Mid-Atlantic Region
- Northeast Region
- Great Lakes Region
- Gulf of Maine Region
- Midwest Region
- Missouri River Basin Region
- Pacific Region
- Southeast Region
- Southern Region
- Western Region
Creating These Quarterly Summaries
NOAA’s Regional Climate Services lead the production of these quarterly summaries of climate impacts and outlooks for various regions of the United States as well as parts of Canada along the border. This effort, which began in 2012, now includes as many as 11 unique regional products, all produced collaboratively with partner organizations.
You can access all of the Climate Impacts and Outlooks summaries as well as additional reports and assessments through the U.S. Drought Portal Reports web page at Drought.gov.