735  
FXUS07 KWBC 282000  
PMD30D  
PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION FOR MONTHLY OUTLOOK  
NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
300 PM EST FRI FEB 28 2025  
 
30-DAY OUTLOOK DISCUSSION FOR MARCH 2025  
 
THE MARCH 2025 MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OUTLOOKS ARE UPDATED WITH  
INPUT FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) EXTENDED RANGE AND SUBSEASONAL  
OUTLOOKS, DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 2 AND WEEKS 3-4, BACKGROUND CLIMATE  
STATES SUCH AS THE MADDEN JULIAN OSCILLATION (MJO) AND EL NIñO SOUTHERN  
OSCILLATION (ENSO), RECENT CLIMATE FORECAST SYSTEM VERSION 2 (CFSV2) MONTHLY  
FORECASTS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION, AND EXPERIMENTAL MONTHLY FORECASTS  
OF TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION FROM EXTENDED RUNS OF THE GLOBAL ENSEMBLE  
FORECAST SYSTEM VERSION 12 (GEFSV12) AND THE EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR MEDIUM-RANGE  
WEATHER FORECASTS (ECMWF) MODELS. A LA NIñA ADVISORY IS STILL IN EFFECT. THE  
LATEST WEEKLY SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE (SST) DEPARTURES REACHED -0.5 DEGREES  
CELSIUS IN THE NIñO 4 REGION AND -0.3 DEGREES CELSIUS IN THE NIñO 3 REGION OVER  
THE LAST WEEK. THIS IS A WEAK LA NIñA EVENT, SO WHILE WE MAY EXPECT SOME OF THE  
TYPICAL IMPACTS, WE ALSO EXPECT GREATER VARIABILITY IN TEMPERATURE AND  
PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH OR SEASON. THE MJO HAS BEGUN TO WEAKEN AND STALL  
IN PHASE 8, RETREATING BACK INTO THE UNIT CIRCLE, DUE TO DESTRUCTIVE  
INTERFERENCE WITH EQUATORIAL ROSSBY WAVE ACTIVITY AND THE LOW-FREQUENCY BASE  
STATE, HOWEVER, DYNAMICAL MODEL FORECASTS OF THE REALTIME MULTIVARIATE MJO  
(RMM) INDEX FAVOR THE RETURN OF EASTWARD PROPAGATION OF THE SIGNAL, BUT THIS IS  
ALSO WEAK AND THERE IS UNCERTAINTY IN MODELS ON THE STRENGTH OF THE MJO, WITH  
GEFS FAVORING A STRONGER MJO AND ECWMF KEEPING THE MJO RATHER WEAK. GIVEN THE  
WEAKNESS OF THESE DRIVERS AS WELL AS THE VARIABILITY SEEN IN SHORTER TERM  
FORECASTS, WE EXPECT A FAIRLY TRANSIENT PATTERN THROUGH AT LEAST THE FIRST HALF  
OF MARCH.  
 
IN THE NEAR-TERM FORECAST PERIOD (I.E. THE 6-10 DAY AND 8-14 DAY FORECASTS  
THROUGH ABOUT MID-MARCH), AN ACTIVE, TRANSIENT PATTERN IS EXPECTED WHICH WOULD  
BRING VARIABLE WEATHER TO THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES (CONUS). IN THE 6-10 DAY  
PERIOD, THE MEAN MID-LEVEL HEIGHT PATTERN FAVORS BELOW NORMAL HEIGHTS ACROSS  
MUCH OF THE EASTERN CONUS TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WITH NEAR NORMAL HEIGHTS  
FAVORED OVER THE WEST AND CENTRAL CONUS. AN ACTIVE SOUTHERN STREAM AND  
ASSOCIATED SHORTWAVE TROUGHING ADD TO THE TRANSIENT FORECAST FOR EARLY MARCH.  
THE PATTERN IS LESS PROGRESSIVE INTO THE WEEK-2 PERIOD, BUT STILL ACTIVE AND  
COMPLEX. THIS TRANSIENT PATTERN IN THE FIRST HALF OF MARCH ADDS SOME  
UNCERTAINTY TO THE MONTHLY FORECAST. IN THE WEEKS 3-4 PERIOD (THROUGH  
APPROXIMATELY THE END OF MARCH), MODELS FAVOR MID-LEVEL TROUGHING OVER ALASKA  
AND THE NORTHWEST, AND WEAK RIDGING OVER THE SOUTH AND EAST WITH THE RIDGE AXIS  
FAVORED TO BE OFF THE EAST COAST. OVERALL, THE MARCH FORECAST IS COMPLEX AND  
VARIABILITY IS EXPECTED, PARTICULARLY IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH.  
 
THE UPDATED MARCH 2025 TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FEATURES BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
OVER THE NORTHWEST AND APPROXIMATELY THE NORTHERN HALF OF CALIFORNIA, AND THE  
SOUTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF ALASKA. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED OVER THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS, CENTRAL CONUS, AND SOUTHERN U.S. INCLUDING THE GULF STATES AND  
PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC. TROUGHING IS EXPECTED THROUGHOUT MUCH OF  
THE MONTH OVER THE WEST, LEADING TO THE FAVORED BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER  
PARTS OF THE WEST COAST. THE AREA OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS ADDITIONALLY  
SUPPORTED BY THE TYPICAL LA NIñA TELECONNECTION, EVEN THOUGH THE LA NIñA IS  
WEAK. FORECASTS FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES HAVE ALSO BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT  
OVER THE NORTH-CENTRAL, CENTRAL, AND SOUTHERN CONUS, WHICH LEADS TO RELATIVELY  
ENHANCED PROBABILITIES OVER THESE REGIONS. A SIGNIFICANT SWING IN THE PATTERN  
AND TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED EARLY IN MARCH OVER ALASKA, WHERE SHORTER TERM  
FORECASTS FAVOR A RAPID SWAP FROM ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO BELOW NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES AS TROUGHING MOVES INTO THE REGION, WHICH THEN REMAINS CONSISTENT  
INTO THE WEEKS 3-4 PERIOD. AS THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES APPEAR TO BE  
SHORTER LIVED OVER ALASKA, THE OVERALL MARCH FORECAST HAS A TILT TOWARD BELOW  
NORMAL. SWINGS IN TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO EXPECTED IN THE SHORT TERM (EARLY  
MARCH) OVER THE EAST, WITH PERIODS OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE,  
PARTICULARLY FOR THE NORTHEAST. THIS GIVES WAY TO RIDGING AND ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES BY THE MIDDLE TO END OF MARCH. DESPITE THE VARIABILITY IN EARLY  
MARCH, MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE EAST COAST IS FAVORED TO BE ABOVE  
NORMAL GIVEN THE FORECASTS FOR THE MID TO END OF MARCH GIVEN WEAKER SIGNALS FOR  
BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES, WHILE EQUAL CHANCES (EC) OF ABOVE, NEAR, AND BELOW  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED FOR THE NORTHEAST WHERE SOME PERIODS OF BELOW  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE MORE STRONGLY FORECASTED.  
 
IN CONTRAST TO TEMPERATURES, MODEL FORECASTS HAVE BEEN MORE CONSISTENT ON THE  
PRECIPITATION SIGNALS. MID-LEVEL TROUGHING AND ONSHORE FLOW SUPPORTS ENHANCED  
PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER PARTS OF CALIFORNIA AND THE  
NORTHWEST, THOUGH THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY ON HOW FAR SOUTH THE ABOVE NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION WILL REACH GIVEN DYNAMICAL MODELS AND THE LA NIñA TELECONNECTION  
THAT SUPPORT BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THUS, EC OF  
ABOVE, NEAR, AND BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ARE APPROPRIATE OVER SOUTHERN  
CALIFORNIA, DESPITE THE EARLY MARCH ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION SIGNAL THAT  
COVERS MUCH OF THE STATE. ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS ALSO FAVORED OVER THE  
GREAT LAKES AND PARTS OF NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND, AS SUPPORTED BY DYNAMICAL  
MODELS, AND THE LA NIñA TELECONNECTION. MOST DYNAMICAL MODELS FAVOR ABOVE  
NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER ALASKA AND IT IS THE CLIMATOLOGICALLY DRIEST TIME OF  
YEAR FOR PRECIPITATION, AS SUCH A TILT TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL IS INDICATED OVER  
MUCH OF THE STATE. BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS FAVORED OVER THE SOUTHWEST AND  
SOUTHERN PLAINS GIVEN MODEL CONSISTENCY, THOUGH MOST MODELS ALSO TILT TOWARD  
BELOW NORMAL OVER THE GULF COAST AND FLORIDA CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE MIGHT  
EXPECT FROM LA NIñA. HOWEVER, THERE IS A CHANCE FOR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION  
OVER THE GULF STATES IN THE SHORT TERM, SO EC IS FAVORED. EC IS ALSO FAVORED  
OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS GIVEN WEAK AND INCONSISTENT SIGNALS AMONG MODELS AND  
TOOLS.  
 
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***** PREVIOUS MID-MONTH DISCUSSION BELOW *****  
******************************************************************************  
 
A NUMBER OF EXTRATROPICAL DRIVERS ARE PRESENT THAT MAY IMPACT THE MARCH 2025  
TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION PATTERNS OVER THE U.S. LA NIñA CONDITIONS  
CONTINUE IN THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC, AND SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE (SST) ANOMALIES  
WERE -0.3 DEGREES CELSIUS BELOW NORMAL IN THE NIñO3.4 REGION DURING THE PAST  
WEEK, AND REACHED -0.7 DEGREES CELSIUS BELOW NORMAL IN THE NIñO4 REGION. LA  
NIñA CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST IN THE NEAR TERM BEFORE TRANSITIONING  
TO EL NIñO SOUTHERN OSCILLATION (ENSO) NEUTRAL DURING THE SPRING. IN ADDITION  
TO THE POTENTIAL LA NIñA IMPACTS, THE MADDEN JULIAN OSCILLATION (MJO) MAY HAVE  
SOME BEARING ON THE FORECAST. THERE HAS BEEN COHERENT MJO ACTIVITY SINCE THE  
BEGINNING OF 2025, AND THOUGH DYNAMICAL MODEL FORECASTS OF THE REALTIME  
MULTIVARIATE MJO (RMM) INDEX FOR THE SHORT TERM FAVOR A SLOWED AND ERRATIC  
EVOLUTION OF THE MJO SIGNAL DUE TO A STRONG EQUATORIAL ROSSBY WAVE, EASTWARD  
PROPAGATION IS FORECAST TO RESUME NEAR THE BEGINNING OF MARCH. FINALLY, THE  
ARCTIC OSCILLATION (AO) IS FORECAST TO BECOME POSITIVE IN THE LAST WEEK OF  
FEBRUARY, THOUGH THIS IS FOLLOWED BY FORECASTS OF A SHARP DROP TO NEAR NEUTRAL  
TO START THE MONTH OF MARCH, WHICH MAY LEAD TO A MORE TRANSIENT PATTERN TO  
START THE MONTH. THOUGH WE EXPECT SOME LINGERING IMPACTS OF THE LA NIñA THROUGH  
THE MONTH OF MARCH, THESE OTHER NOTED INFLUENCES ARE ALSO CONSIDERED FOR THE  
MARCH 2025 TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OUTLOOKS, WHICH MAY MODIFY THE  
CANONICAL LA NIñA PATTERN.  
 
SHORT TERM OUTLOOKS THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY DEPICT A PROGRESSIVE FLOW  
PATTERN. IN THE MEAN, THE MID-LEVEL FLOW PATTERN FAVORS RIDGING OVER THE WEST  
AND NEUTRAL TO BELOW NORMAL 500 HPA HEIGHTS OVER THE EAST, WHICH LEADS TO A  
WARM END TO FEBRUARY OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES  
(CONUS). HOWEVER, THE MID-LEVEL HEIGHT PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO BE PROGRESSIVE AS  
WE END THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY AND MOVE INTO EARLY MARCH. AS MARCH BEGINS, THE  
MID-LEVEL HEIGHT PATTERN IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN AND RETROGRADE, LEADING TO  
VARIABLE HEIGHTS OVER THE EAST AND BELOW NORMAL HEIGHTS ERODING AWAY THE  
RIDGING OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CONUS. THIS APPEARS TO CONTINUE INTO THE  
WEEKS 3-4 PERIOD (THROUGH MID-MARCH), AND MODELS FORECAST TROUGHING OVER THE  
NORTHERN PART OF THE CONUS AND ALASKA, AND RIDGING OVER THE SOUTH. HOWEVER,  
THERE IS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY OF THE EXTENT OF TROUGHING INTO THE LOWER 48  
WITH SOME MODELS CONTAINING THE BELOW NORMAL HEIGHTS MORE TO THE NORTH OVER  
CANADA, AND OTHERS DEPICTING IT REACHING FURTHER SOUTH. THIS LEADS TO  
UNCERTAINTY OVER THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE CONUS PARTICULARLY FOR TEMPERATURE.  
 
THE MARCH 2025 TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FAVORS BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER  
SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA AND THE NORTHWEST. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE INDICATED  
OVER NORTHERN ALASKA AND FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO THE SOUTHEAST. THIS SOMEWHAT  
RESEMBLES A TYPICAL LA NIñA TELECONNECTION PATTERN FOR MARCH, WHICH WOULD BRING  
BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO SOUTHERN ALASKA AND THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE CONUS  
AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO THE SOUTH, AS WELL AS MONTHLY CFSV2 FORECASTS  
OF TEMPERATURES. MULTI-MODEL ENSEMBLE FORECASTS OF MONTHLY TEMPERATURES, SUCH  
AS THE NORTH AMERICAN MULTI-MODEL ENSEMBLE (NMME) AND COPERNICUS CLIMATE SUITE  
(C3S), SUPPORT THE BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA AND THE  
NORTHWEST, BUT TILT TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE PROBABILITIES OVER THE  
EASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE CONUS, INCLUDING THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND NEW ENGLAND.  
HOWEVER, GIVEN THE PROGRESSIVE BUT BELOW NORMAL 500 HPA HEIGHT PATTERN EXPECTED  
IN THE BEGINNING OF MARCH AND DIFFERENCES IN THE SOUTHWARD EXTENT OF THE  
MID-LEVEL HEIGHT PATTERN IN WEEK 3-4 MODELS, EQUAL CHANCES (EC) OF ABOVE, NEAR,  
AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED FOR THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PLAINS  
TO THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE EAST COAST WHERE THERE IS HIGHER UNCERTAINTY AND  
MODELS DIFFERED. PROBABILITIES OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE ENHANCED WHERE  
THE IMPACT OF LA NIñA, COOLER TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE FROM MJO, AND WHERE THE  
TROUGH THAT IS EXPECTED TO RETROGRADE IN EARLY MARCH ARE EXPECTED TO LEAD TO  
BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. IN CONTRAST, ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE INDICATED  
OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN TIER, AND ARE (RELATIVELY) STRONGER. MODELS AND TOOLS  
SUPPORT THE PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ALONG THE SOUTH, AS DOES  
THE TYPICAL LA NIñA TELECONNECTION AND MID-LEVEL RIDGING THAT IS COMPARATIVELY  
MORE STATIONARY.  
 
TOOLS WERE COMPARATIVELY MORE CONSISTENT WHEN CONSIDERING THE PRECIPITATION  
PATTERN OVER THE U.S. FOR MARCH. AS HAS BEEN FAIRLY COMMON THE LAST FEW MONTHS,  
MODELS TEND TOWARD A LA NIñA LIKE PATTERN FOR PRECIPITATION, WHICH IS FOUND IN  
MOST MODELS. THIS IS VERY APPARENT IN NMME AND C3S, WHICH BROADLY FAVOR WEAK  
ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ALASKA, THE NORTHWEST, AND  
GREAT LAKES TO THE NORTHERN PARTS OF GULF STATES, AND BELOW NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION OVER THE SOUTH COAST OF ALASKA, THE SOUTHWEST, SOUTHERN GREAT  
PLAINS, AND WESTERN GULF COAST. THE MARCH PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK ALSO BROADLY  
FAVORS THIS PATTERN, INDICATING ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER MUCH OF  
MAINLAND ALASKA, THE NORTHWEST AND GREAT LAKES TO SOUTHEAST AND BELOW NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION OVER THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHERN PLAINS, BUT THERE ARE SOME  
DIFFERENCES GIVEN EXPECTED INTRA-MONTH VARIABILITY. IN PARTICULAR, EQUAL  
CHANCES OF ABOVE, NEAR, AND BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ARE FAVORED OVER THE  
SOUTH COAST OF ALASKA GIVEN SHORT TERM FORECASTS FOR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION  
THAT MAY OUTWEIGH THE BELOW NORMAL SIGNAL. SIMILAR ARGUMENTS ARE IN PLACE FOR  
THE GULF COAST, WHICH IS TYPICALLY BELOW NORMAL DURING LA NIñA, BUT IS  
APPEARING TO BE MORE VARIABLE IN THE SHORTER TERM FORECASTS, THUS EC IS FAVORED  
FOR THE EASTERN GULF COAST. EC IS ALSO FAVORED OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS,  
DESPITE SOME MODELS SUCH AS CFSV2 INDICATING WEAK CHANCES OF ABOVE NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION, DUE TO UNCERTAINTY IN REMAINING TOOLS AND RELATIVELY STRONGER  
SIGNALS OVER THE NORTHWEST AND GREAT LAKES.  
 
FORECASTER: JOHNNA INFANTI  
 
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.  
 
THE NEXT MONTHLY OUTLOOK...FOR APR ... WILL BE ISSUED ON THU MAR 20 2025  
 
THESE OUTLOOKS ARE BASED ON DEPARTURES FROM THE 1991-2020 BASE PERIOD.  

 
 
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