Looking Back at September 2024 Weather for the U.S. and the World – Posted on October 26, 2024

October 26, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

Much of the information in this report comes from the monthly emails I receive from John Bateman. He does public outreach for NOAA and in particular NCEI. I could find the same information and more on the NCEI website but John Bateman produces a good summary so I use it or most of it. I also add additional information from NCEI or other NOAA websites. At the end of the article, I provide links that will get you to the full reports and much additional information. This month NCEI which is based in North Carolina had a lot of computer problems so the email from John Bateman  is combined  U.S. and World and not as complete as usual.

 My comments if any are in boxes like this one.

I start with the trends of September 2024 Temperature looking at North America and then the World both land and water. There is a graphic for just CONUS but the format is different and it is not as easy to read.

This is the temperature trend for the month of  September in North America. It covers a larger geographical area than just CONUS but I find it easier to read. It looks like the September temperature was a record.

The temperature for the world, land and ocean did not hit a new record.

The temperature for the world, (land only) also did not hit a new record. Notice that land temperatures increase faster than land and ocean as water takes more energy.

To read the rest of this article some will have to click on “Read More”.

Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted October 25, 2024

October 25, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks (up to four weeks) and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Fri Oct 25 2024
Valid 12Z Fri Oct 25 2024 – 12Z Sun Oct 27 2024

…Showers and thunderstorms over parts of the Middle Mississippi/ Ohio
Valleys…

…Rain over parts of the Northeast…

…Rain moves into the Pacific Northwest…

A wave of low pressure over the Middle Mississippi Valley will move
northeastward off the Northeast Coast by Saturday evening. The system will
produce showers and thunderstorms over parts of the Middle
Mississippi/Ohio Valleys through Friday evening. The system will also
create rain over parts of the Great Lakes through Saturday afternoon.
Overnight Friday, scattered rain will develop over parts of the Northeast
through early Sunday morning. Moreover, scattered rain will develop along
the front over the Southern Mid-Atlantic from Saturday evening into
Sunday. Rain will also grow over parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley
from early Saturday into Sunday.

Meanwhile, a front will move onshore over the Pacific Northwest Friday
night and inland through Sunday morning. The storm will produce rain over
parts of the Pacific Northwest late Friday night. The rain will continue
to inch farther inland on Saturday, moving into Northern California late
Saturday night and continuing into Sunday.

Elsewhere, onshore flow off the Atlantic will trigger scattered rain over
parts of Florida from Saturday afternoon into Sunday.

To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.

Learn about wave patterns HERE.

Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full Daily Report issued today.

Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted October 24, 2024

October 24, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks (up to four weeks) and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Thu Oct 24 2024
Valid 12Z Thu Oct 24 2024 – 12Z Sat Oct 26 2024

…Pleasant weather continues across most of the country through the end
of the week…

…Well above-average temperatures continue over the Central and Southern
U.S…

A quiet and relatively uneventful fall weather pattern will continue to be
in place across the continental U.S. through the end of the week, with
high pressure keeping mainly sunny skies in place across the Central and
Eastern U.S. and the warm conditions continuing across the Plains and
southern tier states. A cold front approaching the East Coast will herald
the arrival of more autumnal temperatures for Thursday with highs falling
10 to 20 degrees for many areas from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast
compared to Wednesday. Even warmer conditions are likely for the central
and southern Plains to close out the work week, with highs running up to
20 degrees above normal for late October, with the potential for
additional record highs.

In terms of precipitation prospects, scattered showers and thunderstorms
are likely for the Midwest states ahead of the next cold front dropping
south across the Northern Plains on Thursday and into Thursday night. A
more concentrated corridor of heavier rainfall is expected from eastern
Iowa to northern Illinois on Thursday, with the potential for a few strong
thunderstorms in the warm sector of the surface low. There may also be a
few showers in easterly flow across the Florida Peninsula. Out West, some
showers and high elevation snow are expected from eastern Idaho to Wyoming
and southern Montana with a shortwave upper trough moving through the
region. Looking ahead to Friday, onshore flow ahead of a Pacific cold
front will lead to light to moderate rain developing across western Oregon
and Washington, but not considered an atmospheric river event.

The combination of very warm conditions, dry grounds, and increased winds
across the Central Plains will raise the potential for wildfires, based on
the SPC fire weather outlook on Thursday. There may also be some fire
weather concerns across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast on
Thursday in the wake of a dry cold front, with dry conditions and gusty
winds developing.

To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.

Learn about wave patterns HERE.

Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full Daily Report issued today.

Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted October 23, 2024

October 23, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks (up to four weeks) and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Wed Oct 23 2024
Valid 12Z Wed Oct 23 2024 – 12Z Fri Oct 25 2024

…Very pleasant weather continues across most of the country through the
end of the week…

…Well above-average temperatures continue over the Central and Eastern
U.S…

A quiet and relatively uneventful fall weather pattern will be in place
across the continental U.S. through early Friday, with high pressure
keeping mainly sunny skies in place across the Central and Eastern U.S.
and the very pleasant conditions continuing. Temperatures will once again
be quite mild and feel more like September across much of the East Coast
region on Wednesday ahead of a cold front, which will herald the arrival
of more autumnal temperatures for Thursday with highs falling 10 to 20
degrees for many areas from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast. Even
warmer conditions are likely for the central and southern Plains to close
out the work week, with highs running up to 20 degrees above normal for
late October, with the potential for a few record highs.

In terms of precipitation prospects, some light showers are possible
across portions of the Great Lakes region and into New England ahead of
the cold front where forcing for ascent will be greatest, and remaining
dry farther to the south given a paucity of moisture and lack of dynamics.
A second area of scattered showers and thunderstorms is likely for the
Midwest states ahead of the next cold front dropping south across the
Northern Plains on Thursday and into Thursday night. There may also be a
few showers in easterly flow across the Florida Peninsula. Out West, some
showers and high elevation snow are expected from eastern Oregon to the
Northern Rockies with a shortwave upper trough moving through the region.

The combination of very warm conditions, dry grounds, and increased winds
across the Central Plains will raise the potential for wildfires, based on
the SPC fire weather outlook on Thursday. The same holds true for
portions of southern New England on Wednesday.

To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.

Learn about wave patterns HERE.

Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full Daily Report issued today.

Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted October 22, 2024

October 22, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks (up to four weeks) and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Mon Oct 21 2024
Valid 12Z Mon Oct 21 2024 – 12Z Wed Oct 23 2024

…Lingering scattered thunderstorm activity for the Central/Southern
Plains today…

…Cool and rainy across the Northwest today…

…Well above average temperatures in the northern tier spreads south…

A previously quasi-stationary front draped along the Central/Southern High
Plains will kick out into the Great Plains today beneath a weakening
upper-level low. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will occur over
portions of eastern Nebraska and Kansas as a result with a Marginal Risk
of Severe Thunderstorms present. A somewhat slow moving upper trough over
the eastern Pacific will produce cool temperatures and light rain showers
for much of the Northwest today.

An upper ridge and approaching northern stream trough will generate well
above average temperatures across much of the northern tier states today.
Temperatures in the 70s and 80s will represent 20-30 degree positive
anomalies for portions of the Upper Midwest. High temperature records
along the Northeast Coast may be tied or broken today.

To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.

Learn about wave patterns HERE.

Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full Daily Report issued today.

Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted October 21, 2024

October 21, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks (up to four weeks) and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Mon Oct 21 2024
Valid 12Z Mon Oct 21 2024 – 12Z Wed Oct 23 2024

…Lingering scattered thunderstorm activity for the Central/Southern
Plains today…

…Cool and rainy across the Northwest today…

…Well above average temperatures in the northern tier spreads south…

A previously quasi-stationary front draped along the Central/Southern High
Plains will kick out into the Great Plains today beneath a weakening
upper-level low. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will occur over
portions of eastern Nebraska and Kansas as a result with a Marginal Risk
of Severe Thunderstorms present. A somewhat slow moving upper trough over
the eastern Pacific will produce cool temperatures and light rain showers
for much of the Northwest today.

An upper ridge and approaching northern stream trough will generate well
above average temperatures across much of the northern tier states today.
Temperatures in the 70s and 80s will represent 20-30 degree positive
anomalies for portions of the Upper Midwest. High temperature records
along the Northeast Coast may be tied or broken today.

cone graphic

To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.

Learn about wave patterns HERE.

Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full Daily Report issued today.

Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted October 20, 2024

October 20, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks (up to four weeks) and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Sun Oct 20 2024
Valid 12Z Sun Oct 20 2024 – 12Z Tue Oct 22 2024

…Heavy Rain and light to moderate Snow across portions of the Central
Rockies, and Southern High Plains today before diminishing tonight…

…Rainfall for the Pacific Northwest through Monday…

…Expansive area of above average temperatures settle over the northern
tier…

An anomalous closed upper-level low pressure system will continue to
produce heavy rainfall and scattered thunderstorms across portions of the
Southern High Plains through this morning before quickly tapering off this
afternoon and evening. A Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall leading to
Flash Flooding is in effect for parts of far southeastern Colorado, the
Texas/Oklahoma panhandles and northeastern New Mexico where 1 inch/hr rain
rates could cause runoff concerns, particularly over recent burn scars.
Heavy snow is also a concern over parts of the Central Rockies,
specifically the San Juans above 10,000 feet where over 8 inches of snow
are possible. Snow tapers off tonight as the upper low moves away into the
Great Plains.

A broad positively tilted upper trough will continue generating a
prolonged weak atmospheric river event over the Northwest over the next
couple of days. Some additional 1-2 inches of rainfall are possible for
parts of the Pacific Northwest today followed by portions of the Northern
Rockies on Monday. Any snow that falls will be confined to the highest
elevations of the Cascades.

An upper ridge will promote warm southerly flow into the Plains and
eventually East over the next several days. High temperatures in the 70s
and 80s today and Monday will represent 20-30 degree positive anomalies
for this time of year over parts of the Upper Midwest. Overnight
temperatures will be warm enough to rival low records as well. Troughing
over southern Canada and the cut-off low propagating across the Plains
will eventually push the warm air into the eastern half of the country
this week.

cone graphic

To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.

Learn about wave patterns HERE.

Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full Daily Report issued today.

Ecological Drought – Another Dimension to Drought – Posted on October 19, 2024

October 19, 2024Posted inClimateNo Comments

 

 

Drought has traditionally been viewed in terms of its agricultural, hydrological, and socioeconomic impacts. However, this does not fully address the impacts to ecosystems, and the critical services they provide to humans. In 2017, an Ecological Drought Framework was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in conjunction with the Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society that intentionally considers the interconnectedness of nature and humans. The objective of this framework is to identify drought policy and natural resource management strategies that are mutually beneficial.

The National Integrated Drought Information Center (NIDIS) and the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center (NCASC) co-organized a series of four webinars in early 2021 to raise awareness of ecological drought and share new research and practical actions to strengthen ecosystem resilience to drought. These webinars introduced the ecological drought concept, and explored how to incorporate ecological drought in planning for ecosystem resilience, wildfire management, and vibrant coastal ecosystems. The series included speakers from the research community, tribal nations, and government agencies.

Remember this is the 2021 Webinar Series. If you want to watch it, click HERE. This will present the above graphic but it will be alive so you can then click on the start arrow. You may have to wait a few seconds and “skip” a commercial to get to the actual presentation.

However, the focus of this article is not the 2021 Webinar Series but the current Webinar Series on ecological drought. It is more than three years later so there has been progress in understanding the causes of and how to deal with ecological drought. There are many different kinds of drought and THIS is a pretty good explanation of the different types. Until recently the different types of drought related almost totally to the direct impact on people. The impact on ecology was almost totally ignored.  The webinar series in 2021 was one of the first attempts to consider how drought impacts ecology.  The 2024-2025 series of webinars is an attempt to better understand the impact of drought on ecology and the impact of ecology on drought.

Please click on “Read Here”  to access the body of this article.

Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted October 19, 2024

October 19, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks (up to four weeks) and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Fri Oct 18 2024
Valid 12Z Fri Oct 18 2024 – 12Z Sun Oct 20 2024

…Heavy snow expected for the central and southern Rockies through
Saturday…

…Heavy rain expected for the western High Plains on Saturday ahead of an
upper low over the Four Corners region…

…Sunny and pleasant conditions for much of the Eastern U.S. through the
upcoming weekend…

A weather pattern change is in progress across the Western U.S. as an
amplified upper trough supports the passage of a strong cold front across
the Intermountain West. This will result in widespread mountain snow
across the higher elevations of the Rockies on Friday, and persisting into
Saturday across the mountainous terrain of the Four Corners region as an
upper level low develops. The potential exists for 10-20 inches of snow
across portions of Utah and Colorado, mainly above 9000 feet elevation.
It will also be turning considerably colder compared to the recent warm
weather that most of the Western U.S. has experienced so far this month.
Highs will only be in the 40s and 50s for most valley locations to close
out the work week and going into Saturday, and below freezing at night.

With the upper level low developing over Arizona, there will be a plume of
increased moisture advection across eastern New Mexico and portions of
adjacent states that will likely result in enhanced rainfall going into
Saturday, where a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall is currently depicted
in WPC’s outlook. The potential exists for 2-4 inches of rainfall here,
and this could result in some instances of flooding. Some strong to
severe thunderstorms will also be possible. Another area of enhanced
rainfall will be across western Washington, where an atmospheric river
event will likely affect Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula,
producing a few inches of rainfall across the windward terrain.

Elsewhere across the continental U.S., a sprawling surface high will be
anchored in place across the Eastern U.S. and will govern the overall
weather pattern through the upcoming weekend. The result will be sunny
skies across a wide expanse of this region, and pleasantly mild conditions
during the day and cool at night. There will be a moderating trend with
temperatures compared to the recent cold spell earlier this week, and
highs are expected to be above normal for many areas with readings well
into the 70s from the Midwest to the Northeast states. The downside is
the developing short term drought conditions for much of this region, with
no rainfall expected through early next week.

To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.

Learn about wave patterns HERE.

Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full Daily Report issued today.

NOAA Updates its Seasonal Outlook on October 17, 2024 – Still based on a weak La Nina starting very soon – Posted on October 18, 2024

October 18, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

On the third Thursday of the month right on schedule NOAA issued their updated Seasonal Outlook which I describe as their Four-Season Outlook because it extends a bit more than one year into the future. The information released also included the Mid-Month Outlook for the following month plus the weather and drought outlook for the next three months.  I present the information issued by NOAA and try to add context to it. It is quite a challenge for NOAA to address the subsequent month, the subsequent three-month period as well as the twelve successive three-month periods for a year or a bit more.

With respect to the long-term part of the Outlook which I call the Four-Season Outlook, the timing of the transition from Neutral to LaNina has been challenging to predict.  We are still in ENSO Neutral. La Nina is the likely scenario soon, but the strength of the La Nina may be fairly weak..

From the NOAA discussion:

“El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral conditions remain present, as equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are near-to-below average in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. A La Niña Watch remains in effect, with La Niña favored to emerge during September-November (SON) 2024  [Author’s Note:  We are halfway  through that period and still not in La Nina] (60% chance) [and is forecast to persist through January-March (JFM) 2025. Any La Niña event that develops this autumn is favored, however, to be a weak short duration event.”

I personally would not have total confidence in this outlook given the uncertainty about there actually being a La Nina and its strength if it does happen.  I  do not have the JAMSTEC outlook yet but for sure they will lean towards a weak La Nina with Modoki characteristics. I do not have a lot of confidence that NOAA knows how to deal with a La Nina Modoki. The number of El Nino and La Nina events since 1950 is a fairly small number. When you further segment them by strength you end up with a very small number of events in each category (El Nino v La Nina and three or four categories of strength within each of perhaps 8  to 10 subcategories. This makes both statistical methods and dynamical models have a large error range.  We are pretty confident now that we will have either a weak La Nina or Neutral with a La Nina bias meaning it will be in the Neutral Range but closer to a La Nina than an El Nino. This suggests that there is value in this forecast. The maps show the level of confidence that NOAA (really the NOAA Climate Prediction Center) has for the outlook shown when they show a part of the U.S. or Alaska differing from Normal.

BTW as aside, the NOAA discussion was written this month by my two favorite NOAA Meteorologists.

Let’s Take a Look at the (mid-month) Outlook for November

It will be updated on the last day of October.

Then we look at a graphic that shows both the next month and the next three months.

The top row is what is now called the Mid-Month Outlook for next month which will be updated at the end of this month. There is a temperature map and a precipitation map. The second row is a three-month outlook that includes next month.  I think the outlook maps are self-explanatory. What is important to remember is that they show deviations from the current definition of normal which is the period 1991 through 2020.  So this is not a forecast of the absolute value of temperature or precipitation but the change from what is defined as normal or to use the technical term “climatology”.

Notice that the Outlook for next month and the three-month Outlook are fairly similar. This tells us that December and January will be substantially the same as November for most of CONUS and Alaska. Part of the explanation for this is that NOAA expects La Nina to impact all three months.

–

The full NOAA Seasonal Outlook extends through November/December/January of 2026 (yes that is more than a year out). All of these maps are in the body of the article. Large maps are provided for November and the three-month period November/December/January  Small maps are provided beyond that through November/December/January of 2026 with a link to get larger versions of these maps. NOAA provides a discussion to support the maps. It is included in the body of this article.

In some cases, one will need to click on “read more” to read the full article. For those on my email list where I have sent the url of the article, that will not be necessary.