U.S. Weather/Crop Progress
U.S. Drought Monitor Weather Forecast: During December 17-21, storminess should continue across the Pacific Northwest, northern California, most of Idaho, and adjacent parts of surrounding states. Precipitation totals in most of the area should be moderate, ranging from about an inch to a few inches, but areas from the Cascades to the West Coast will likely get soaked again. More than a foot could fall on parts of coastal Oregon. Farther east, light to moderate precipitation, with isolated amounts of up to 1.5 inches, are expected across the areas of dryness and drought in the East. From the Appalachians to the Rockies and in the Southwest, existing dry areas shouldn’t expect much relief, with only a few tenths of an inch at best anticipated. Temperatures are forecast to average several degrees above normal from the Plains to the East Coast, and near normal in most other locations.
The odds favor wet weather across almost the entire contiguous 48 states during the ensuing 5 days (December 22-26), with the highest likelihoods covering areas from the Mississippi Valley to the Appalachians in the East, and the central and northern Rockies, northern and central Intermountain West, and Oregon in the West. Very mild weather is possible across the eastern half of the country.
Follow this link to view current U.S. and international weather patterns and the future outlook: Weather and Crop Bulletin.