SIOUX FALLS, SD – Enjoy what moisture has been received recently in the form of snow, because it looks to be a warm, dry spring.
The climate driver La Nina is hanging around and will have an impact into late this year, according to Dennis Todey, head of the Midwest Climate Hub. He and other analysts had expected La Nina to fade this spring.Â
“We’ve gone through two years of La Nina. That’s not uncommon. The initial thought was that La Nina would weaken this spring and dissipate. But it hasn’t dissipated and has actually strengthened in certain ways. So La Nina is still very present and impacting our outlooks.”
A La Nina occurs when Pacific Ocean surface temperatures cool, and influences weather across North America.
Todey says the outlooks for May, June and July show warming temperatures and a lack of rain.Â
“There is a better chance for increasing warmth in all of the West because of the ongoing drought. It looks to be dry in the Plains and wetter in east for May, June and July .”
Todey says there is the potential for more heat and expanding drought areas into summer,
“In May, June, July we see an area in the northcentral U.S. where it’s not warm. But in June, July, and August that goes away. Much of western U.S. leans fairly strongly toward warmer temperatures and a decrease in chances of precipitation throughout the Plains. And even extending into Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. Sorry about that.”
He added, “There were hints this could happen. And it’s still not a guarantee. But it’s definitely something we have to keep an eye on as we go ahead here.”
