U.S. Weather/Crop Progress
U.S. Drought Monitor Weather Forecast: During the next 5 days (February 13 to 17), the pattern is expected to be similar to last week, but with less extreme precipitation amounts. Still, over an inch is expected in a swath from southeast Louisiana to the upper Ohio River Valley, with a stripe of 1.5 to 2.5 inches expected from east-central Mississippi through northwest Alabama, central Tennessee, and southeast Kentucky. This, however, will be enough to exacerbate and already-soggy situation there. To the west, precipitation should again be orographically dependent. The higher elevations from central Colorado northwestward through the northern Intermountain West are expecting 1 to locally near 3 inches of precipitation, with the higher amounts most prevalent in the lower Idaho Panhandle. Farther west, moderate to heavy precipitation is expected along both the Pacific Coast and Cascade Mountains from central Oregon northward. Between 1.5 and 4.0 inches will douse many areas along the coast, and a strip through the middle of the Cascades can expect 2 to 5 inches. Meanwhile, nearly all areas of dryness and drought from the southern half of the Plains to the Pacific Coast will see less than 0.2 inch, with most sites recording little or none. Areas from the northern Plains and western Great Lakes southward into the middle Mississippi Valley should average colder than normal during this period, and subnormal daytime highs are expected along most of the northern tier of states. Across most of the western, southern, and eastern parts of the country, daytime highs should average near normal but nighttime lows are expected to remain above normal.
In the extended range forecast for the ensuing 5 days (February 17 to 21), odds favor surplus precipitation across the southern half of the Plains and from the Mississippi Valley eastward to the Atlantic Coast. Florida is an exception, with slightly enhanced chances for subnormal precipitation noted on northern and central parts of the Panhandle. Wetter than normal weather is also favored in much of the Pacific Northwest and Idaho, but enhanced chances for subnormal precipitation exist in the dry areas from Wyoming and the western Four Corners region to the Pacific Coast. The largest tilt of the odds toward dryness will be centered across California. Meanwhile, the mild winter is expected to continue from the lower Mississippi River, lower Ohio Valley, and eastern Great Lakes to the Atlantic Seaboard, except northern New England. Meanwhile, colder than normal conditions seem more likely through the southern half of the Plains, and most of the Rockies and Intermountain West. Wetter than normal weather is favored across the south-central and southeastern parts of Alaska, with odds tilting toward colder than normal weather in south-central parts of the state.
Follow this link to view current U.S. and international weather patterns and future outlook: Weather and Crop Bulletin.