943  
FXUS07 KWBC 181231  
PMD30D  
PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION FOR MONTHLY OUTLOOK  
NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
830 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2024  
 
30-DAY OUTLOOK DISCUSSION FOR AUGUST 2024  
 
THE AUGUST 2024 MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OUTLOOKS ARE BASED ON  
VARIOUS CLIMATE FACTORS. THESE INCLUDE THE PHASE OF ENSO, THE MADDEN-JULIAN  
OSCILLATION (MJO), DYNAMICAL AND STATISTICAL MODEL GUIDANCE, AND BOUNDARY  
CONDITIONS SUCH AS COASTAL SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURES (SSTS) AND RECENT SOIL  
MOISTURE ANOMALIES. HISTORICAL TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION TRENDS WERE ALSO  
CONSIDERED, AS WERE RECENT OBSERVATIONS AND THE LATEST WEEKS 3-4 TEMPERATURE  
AND PRECIPITATION OUTLOOKS WHICH EXTEND THROUGH THE 9TH OF AUGUST.  
 
CURRENTLY, ENSO-NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ARE OBSERVED BUT LA NIñA IS FAVORED TO  
EMERGE DURING AUGUST-SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER (ASO) 2024 (70% CHANCE) AND PERSIST INTO  
THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE WINTER (79% CHANCE) DURING NOVEMBER-DECEMBER-JANUARY  
(NDJ) 2024-25. THE LATEST WEEKLY NIñO 3.4 INDEX WAS +0.3 DEG C. MOSTLY  
NEAR-NORMAL SSTS PREVAILED ACROSS THE NEAR-EQUATORIAL EASTERN AND EAST-CENTRAL  
PACIFIC, WHILE TEMPERATURES BELOW THE SURFACE IN THESE REGIONS WERE  
BELOW-NORMAL. CONVECTION WAS NEAR-NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS  
INDONESIA AND THE VICINITY OF THE DATE LINE. COLLECTIVELY, THESE  
OCEAN-ATMOSPHERE INDICATORS REFLECTED ENSO-NEUTRAL. THE MJO SIGNAL SHOWED  
LITTLE EASTWARD PROPAGATION THIS PAST WEEK BETWEEN THE INDIAN OCEAN AND  
MARITIME CONTINENT REGIONS, AND THE OLR PLOTS DISPLAYED CONSIDERABLE  
DISORGANIZATION. IMPACTS FROM BOTH ENSO AND THE MJO FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST ARE  
EXPECTED TO BE MINOR.  
 
THE NORTH AMERICAN MULTI-MODEL ENSEMBLE (NMME) AND COPERNICUS CLIMATE CHANGE  
SERVICE (C3S) MULTI-MODEL, ALSO KNOWN AS THE INTERNATIONAL MULTI-MODEL  
ENSEMBLE, AND THEIR CONSTITUENT MODEL INPUTS SERVED AS THE DYNAMICAL BASIS FOR  
THE MONTHLY OUTLOOKS. THE CONSTRUCTED ANALOG ON SOIL MOISTURE TOOL (CA-SMT),  
ENSO COMPOSITES AND REGRESSIONS, AND HISTORICAL TRENDS SERVED AS THE  
STATISTICAL BASIS FOR THE OUTLOOKS. THREE CONSOLIDATION TOOLS WERE USED THAT  
SKILL-WEIGHTED AND CALIBRATED THE DYNAMICAL MODELS (NMME-CON), THE STATISTICAL  
MODELS (STAT-CON), AND A FINAL-CON WHICH CONSOLIDATED THE OTHER TWO CONS.  
 
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS (COASTAL SSTS AND RECENT SOIL MOISTURE ANOMALIES) WERE ALSO  
CONSIDERED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION  
OUTLOOKS FOR AUGUST 2024. SSTS WERE BELOW-NORMAL NEAR THE COASTS OF NORTHERN  
AND WESTERN ALASKA, MOSTLY NEAR-NORMAL NEAR THE WEST COAST, AND ABOVE-NORMAL  
ALONG THE GULF AND ATLANTIC COASTS. RECENT AREAS OF RELATIVELY LOW SOIL  
MOISTURE INCLUDE THE OHIO AND TENNESSEE VALLEYS, THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN  
APPALACHIANS, PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION, THE CAROLINAS, THE RIO  
GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS, AND LARGE PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWESTERN LOWER 48 STATES.  
IN CONTRAST, RECENT AREAS OF RELATIVELY HIGH SOIL MOISTURE INCLUDE FROM THE  
NORTH-CENTRAL STATES TO THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES REGION (DUE TO FRONTAL ACTIVITY  
AND THUNDERSTORM CLUSTERS), AND EASTERN TEXAS AND MUCH OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE PASSAGE OF FORMER HURRICANE BERYL ON JULY 8-9.  
NOAA’S ATLANTIC SEASONAL HURRICANE OUTLOOK CALLS FOR A WELL-ABOVE AVERAGE  
SEASON THIS YEAR, WHICH PUTS THE GULF AND EAST COASTS AT AN INCREASED RISK OF  
IMPACTS FROM TROPICAL STORMS AND HURRICANES.  
 
THE TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FOR AUGUST 2024 FAVORS ABOVE-NORMAL MEAN TEMPERATURES  
OVER NEARLY ALL OF THE CONTIGUOUS U.S. (CONUS). THIS IS SUPPORTED BY THE THREE  
CONSOLIDATION (CON) TOOLS, CFS, AND THE C3S. A MAJORITY OF THE TOOLS, INCLUDING  
THE NMME PAC, DEPICT A RELATIVE WEAKNESS AND/OR BREAK IN THE FAVORED WARMTH  
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE GREAT PLAINS AND MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, WHICH IS CONSISTENT  
WITH SIGNIFICANT CLIMATE VARIABILITY OBSERVED SO FAR THIS SUMMER. MAXIMUM  
PROBABILITIES FAVORING ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES EXCEED 70% OVER PORTIONS OF  
THE NORTH-CENTRAL ROCKIES, SUPPORTED BY MUCH OF THE MODEL GUIDANCE AND THE  
EXPECTED LATE-SEASON INFLUENCE OF DRY SOILS. THIS IS A RELATIVELY DRY TIME OF  
THE YEAR FOR THIS AREA. FOR THE SOUTHWEST, THE C3S AND ITS INPUTS ARE CONFIDENT  
OF SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW-NORMAL TOTAL  
PRECIPITATION. DEPENDING UPON THE SPEED OF THE ANTICIPATED TRANSITION OF  
ENSO-NEUTRAL TO LA NIñA LATER THIS SUMMER, SOME OF THE FAVORED DRYNESS ACROSS  
THE SOUTHWEST MAY BE RELATED TO THE TYPICALLY DRY LA NIñA FOOTPRINT OVER THIS  
REGION. WITH OTHER MODEL SOLUTIONS NOT BEING QUITE AS CONFIDENT AS THE C3S,  
SUGGESTING LOWER PROBABILITIES FOR ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES WOULD BE PRUDENT  
ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST. HISTORICAL TRENDS ALSO SUPPORT ELEVATED PROBABILITIES FOR  
WARMER-THAN-NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER THIS REGION AND THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS  
DURING AUGUST. ACROSS THE NORTH-CENTRAL STATES, ODDS ARE ONLY SLIGHTLY TILTED  
TOWARDS ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES DUE TO SEVERAL FACTORS. THESE FACTORS INCLUDE  
ADEQUATE MODEL AND TOOL SUPPORT, THE EXPECTATION OF SIGNIFICANT VARIABILITY  
CONTINUING IN THE FUTURE, AND THE ANTICIPATED CONTINUED PRESENCE OF VERY MOIST  
SOILS. OVER THE EASTERN CONUS, THERE IS PLENTY OF DYNAMICAL MODEL SUPPORT FOR  
THE FAVORED ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES, WITH LIMITED STATISTICAL SUPPORT.  
RELATIVELY WARM WATER SURROUNDS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND ENHANCES THE CHANCES  
FOR ANOMALOUS WARMTH. ODDS SURPASS 60% OVER AN AREA CENTERED ON THE CENTRAL  
APPLACHIANS, IN PART DUE TO LOW SOIL MOISTURE. NEAR THE IMMEDIATE WEST COAST,  
EQUAL CHANCES (EC) OF BELOW-, NEAR-, AND ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED  
IN AUGUST, ATTRIBUTED TO THE INFLUENCE OF THE MARINE LAYER.  
 
FOR ALASKA, ODDS ARE TILTED TOWARDS BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER SOUTHWESTERN  
SECTIONS OF THE STATE, LARGELY DUE TO THE NEARBY BERING SEA AND ITS UNUSUALLY  
COLD WATER FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE FAVORED BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE  
ALSO BACKED BY A REGRESSION TOOL WHICH REGRESSES TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES AGAINST  
THE STANDARDIZED NIñO 3.4 INDEX FOR THE JULY-SEPTEMBER SEASON (WITH THE CENTRAL  
MONTH, AUGUST, BEING OUR TARGET PERIOD). FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE STATE, A  
SUBJECTIVE CONSENSUS OF MODELS AND TOOLS SUGGESTS A WEAK TILT TOWARDS  
ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF THE MAINLAND AND EC  
ELSEWHERE.  
 
THE PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FOR AUGUST 2024 FAVORS ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR  
THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF TEXAS, MUCH OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE  
VALLEYS, SOUTHERN OHIO VALLEY, THE SOUTHEAST, SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS,  
AND FROM MUCH OF THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION TO SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW ENGLAND.  
THIS IS SUPPORTED IN LARGE PART BY THE THREE CON TOOLS, CA-SMT, CFS, AND C3S.  
MAXIMUM PROBABILITIES FOR ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION CHANCES SURPASS 50% FOR  
MOST OF THE GULF COAST AND SOUTHEAST COAST STATES. THE LAST 9 RUNS OF THE CFS  
MODEL FAVOR ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER MUCH OF THE SAME GENERAL AREA. THIS  
ANTICIPATED RELATIVELY WET PATTERN IS ALSO DEEMED JUDICIOUS GIVEN NOAA’S  
SEASONAL HURRICANE OUTLOOK WHICH FAVORS A VERY ACTIVE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON  
IN 2024. IN CONTRAST, BELOW-NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS FAVORED FOR MUCH OF THE  
WESTERN HALF OF THE CONUS. MOST OF THE SUPPORT FOR THE RELATIVELY DRY OUTLOOK  
COMES FROM THE THREE CONSOLIDATION TOOLS, C3S, CFS, METEO-FRANCE MODEL, AND THE  
UKMO MODEL. FOR SEVERAL OF THE LAST 9 DAILY CFS RUNS, WETTER-THAN-NORMAL  
CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN PREDICTED BY THE CFS MODEL OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CONUS,  
WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT DEVIATION FROM MOST OTHER TOOLS AND WAS THEREFORE  
DISCOUNTED. MINIMAL PROBABILITIES FAVORING BELOW-NORMAL PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS  
ARE INDICATED ACROSS MOST OF ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO, GIVEN THE EARLY AND  
CONSISTENT START TO THE SOUTHWEST MONSOON AND POTENTIAL BACKDOOR COLD FRONT  
ACTIVITY THAT OFTEN AFFECTS NEW MEXICO IN PARTICULAR.  
 
IN ALASKA, THERE IS A TILT IN THE ODDS TOWARDS ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR  
THE SOUTHWESTERN MAINLAND, THE ALASKA PENINSULA, AND THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS.  
THIS HAS THE SUPPORT OF MANY OF THE C3S INPUTS, INCLUDING THE GERMAN AND  
CANADIAN MODELS (DWD AND CMCC, RESPECTIVELY), TO NAME A FEW. THE LATEST 3 RUNS  
OF THE CFS ALSO LEND SOME SUPPORT TO THE FAVORED ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION  
CHANCES ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA. ELSEWHERE ACROSS ALASKA AND THE LOWER 48  
STATES, EC IS FAVORED.  
 
FORECASTER: ANTHONY ARTUSA  
 
THE CLIMATIC NORMALS ARE BASED ON CONDITIONS BETWEEN 1991 AND 2020, FOLLOWING  
THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION CONVENTION OF USING THE MOST RECENT 3  
COMPLETE DECADES AS THE CLIMATE REFERENCE PERIOD. THE PROBABILITY ANOMALIES  
FOR TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION BASED ON THESE NEW NORMALS BETTER REPRESENT  
SHORTER TERM CLIMATIC ANOMALIES THAN THE FORECASTS BASED ON OLDER NORMALS.  
 
AN UPDATED MONTHLY OUTLOOK... FOR AUG WILL BE ISSUED ON WED JULY 31 2024  
 
THESE OUTLOOKS ARE BASED ON DEPARTURES FROM THE 1991-2020 BASE PERIOD.  

 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab HPC Page Main Text Page