Warmer, drier summer predicted in northwest

June 20, 2017

From the Columbia Basin Bulletin The weather-climate outlook for the coming summer months appears to be comfortably warmer and drier than the last couple summers in the Columbia Basin. A briefing held Thursday by NOAA forecasters offered up the latest climate-weather outlook across the country. NOAA reports that May’s weather was slightly warmer than average across the contiguous United States. The spring months were the eighth warmest on record, and January through May were the second warmest on record for those periods. Precipitation nationwide was wetter than average in May, the spring months were the 11th wettest on record and January through May were the fourth wettest on record. Long-range, NOAA is forecasting normal temperatures and precipitation in the Columbia Basin states through the month of July. Warmer-than-average temperatures and normal precipitation are forecast for July, August and September in the Columbia Basin states. The El Nino Southern Oscillation forecast predicts neutral conditions — no El Nino or La Nina patterns that influence weather in North America.