ANDOVER, Mass., March 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With two days
left until spring, many Americans will finally see warmer
temperatures, according to the latest forecast for North America from The Weather Company,
an IBM Business (NYSE: IBM). According to the forecast, the
Northeastern, Southeastern, and Northwestern U.S. will enjoy a
warmer-than-normal spring, with the Plains and Southwest
experiencing temperatures below normal. Rainfall will skew
above-normal in most areas excluding portions of the Northeast and
Southwest.
"After an extended cold period across much of the Northern U.S.
during the last month, the pattern finally appears to be relenting
as we head into spring," said Dr. Todd
Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company. "Our
models continue to suggest a general warm-north and cool-south
pattern, with above-normal temperatures expected across the
Northeastern and Northwestern U.S., and below-normal temperatures
across the Plains and Southwest. We expect a wet spring in many
areas, especially across the Plains and Southeast."
Whether you're heading to the beach or hitting the slopes for
spring break this year, the weather just may be on your side. For
April and May, The Weather Company expects warming patterns along
the Eastern seaboard and Pacific Northwest, and colder weather
throughout the Plains into Colorado, Montana and Utah. On the heels of a wet 2018, soil
moisture values are high across the eastern half of the country and
much lower in middle America, causing the Plains to cool.
April
- Northeast – Warmer and wetter than normal
- Southeast – Warmer and wetter than normal
- North Central – Cooler and wetter than normal
- South Central – Cooler and wetter than normal
- Northwest – Warmer and drier than normal
- Southwest – Cooler and wetter than normal
May
- Northeast – Warmer and drier than normal
- Southeast – Warmer and wetter than normal
- North Central – Warmer and drier than normal
- South Central – Cooler and wetter than normal
- Northwest – Warmer and wetter than normal
- Southwest – Cooler and wetter than normal
June
- Northeast – Warmer and wetter than normal
- Southeast – Warmer and wetter than normal
- North Central – Cooler and drier than normal
- South Central – Warmer and wetter than normal
- Northwest – Warmer and wetter than normal
- Southwest – Cooler and wetter than normal
El Niño Lingers, The Sequel
Heading into June and the
summer season, El Niño will linger into a second year, bringing
cooler-than-normal temperatures across the Northern and Central
Plains, along with parts of Nevada
and California. The most
significant warmth is expected in the Northwest, with both coasts
seeing above-normal summer heat.
El Niño is characterized by a band of warm ocean water in the
central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, accompanied by high air
pressure in the western Pacific and low air pressure in the eastern
Pacific. Back-to-back El Niño events are fairly uncommon, only
happening five times since 1950. In four of those five years, the
Northern Plains and Great Lakes experienced below-normal summer
temperatures, with warmer-than-normal temperatures across the
southern tier and Pacific Northwest.
"Emerging El Niño conditions over the last year resulted in a
historically wet period across much of the United States," added Crawford. "The
anomalously high soil moisture, combined with lingering El Niño
conditions, will likely limit the magnitude of the summer heat this
year, relative to the very hot summer of 2018."
The Weather Company helps people make informed decisions and
take action in the face of weather. The company offers
the most accurate forecasts globally–more than 25 billion per
day–with personalized and actionable weather data and insights to
more than 300 million consumers and thousands of businesses
worldwide. The Weather Company content and alerts are available in
62 languages on The Weather Company digital properties, including
weather.com, The Weather Channel app on iOS and Android,
wunderground.com and the Weather Underground app.
Later this year, IBM and The Weather Company will release its
new Global High Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System (GRAF),
the first hourly-updating commercial weather model that offers
nearly 200 percent improvement in forecasting resolution in
locations around the globe. Today, most of the world has to settle
for less accurate forecasts for predictions that cover 12- to
15-kilometer swaths of land–too wide to capture many weather
phenomena. And, traditionally, leading weather models update less
frequently, only every 6 to 12 hours. In contrast, GRAF will
provide 3-kilometer resolution that updates hourly, democratizing
weather forecasts globally and delivering reliable predictions for
the day ahead.
For more, visit newsroom.ibm.com/the-weather-company.
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SOURCE The Weather Company, an IBM Business