090  
FXUS05 KWBC 191355  
PMD90D  
PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION FOR LONG-LEAD SEASONAL OUTLOOKS  
NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
830 AM EST THU FEB 19 2026  
 
SUMMARY OF THE OUTLOOK FOR NON-TECHNICAL USERS  
 
LA NIñA CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT, AS REPRESENTED IN CURRENT OCEANIC AND  
ATMOSPHERIC OBSERVATIONS. A TRANSITION FROM LA NIñA TO ENSO-NEUTRAL IS  
EXPECTED IN FEBRUARY-APRIL 2026 (60% CHANCE), WITH ENSO-NEUTRAL LIKELY  
PERSISTING THROUGH THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SUMMER (56% CHANCE IN JUNE-AUGUST  
2026).  
 
THE MARCH-APRIL-MAY (MAM) 2026 TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FAVORS ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES FOR SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE WESTERN CONTIGUOUS UNITED  
STATES (CONUS), THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS, THE LOWER AND MIDDLE  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, THE TENNESSEE VALLEY, SOUTHEAST, AND SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC.  
A TILT TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS ALSO INDICATED FOR NORTHWESTERN  
ALASKA. THE HIGHEST PROBABILITIES (GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT) OF ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST. BELOW NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES ARE MODESTLY FAVORED FOR MUCH OF EASTERN ALASKA AND PARTS OF THE  
WESTERN GREAT LAKES, UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, AND PARTS OF THE ADJACENT RED  
RIVER VALLEY.  
 
THE MAM 2006 PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK DEPICTS ENHANCED PROBABILITIES OF BELOW  
NORMAL PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE WESTERN  
CONUS AND FOR ADJACENT AREAS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS. BELOW NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION IS MODESTLY FAVORED FOR SOUTHEAST ALASKA AND ADJACENT AREAS OF  
MAINLAND ALASKA. THE GREATEST CHANCES OF BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION (ABOVE 50  
PERCENT PROBABILITY) ARE INDICATED FOR PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST. ABOVE NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION IS MORE LIKELY FOR THE GREAT LAKES, OHIO VALLEY, AND ADJACENT  
AREAS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. A TILT TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS  
ALSO INDICATED FOR THE NORTHWEST COAST OF MAINLAND ALASKA. THE GREATEST CHANCES  
OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION (GREATER THAN 40 PERCENT) IS INDICATED ACROSS THE  
CENTRAL GREAT LAKES.  
 
EQUAL CHANCES (EC) ARE FORECAST FOR AREAS WHERE PROBABILITIES FOR EACH CATEGORY  
OF SEASONAL MEAN TEMPERATURES AND SEASONAL ACCUMULATED PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS  
ARE EXPECTED TO BE SIMILAR TO CLIMATOLOGICAL PROBABILITIES.  
 
BASIS AND SUMMARY OF THE CURRENT LONG-LEAD OUTLOOKS  
NOTE: FOR GRAPHICAL DISPLAYS OF THE FORECAST TOOLS DISCUSSED BELOW SEE:  
HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/PREDICTIONS/90DAY/TOOLS/BRIEFING  
 
CURRENT ATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC CONDITIONS  
 
LA NIñA CONTINUED IN JANUARY 2026, WITH BELOW-AVERAGE SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES  
(SSTS) OBSERVED IN THE EAST-CENTRAL EQUATORIAL PACIFIC OCEAN. THE LATEST WEEKLY  
NIñO-3.4 INDEX VALUE WAS -0.7°C, WITH THE WESTERNMOST (NIñO-4) AND  
EASTERNMOST (NIñO-1+2) INDICES AT -0.1°C AND 0.5°C, RESPECTIVELY. THE  
EQUATORIAL SUBSURFACE TEMPERATURE INDEX (AVERAGE FROM 180°-100°W)  
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, REFLECTING THE STRENGTHENING AND EXPANSION OF  
ABOVE-AVERAGE SUBSURFACE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN. ATMOSPHERIC  
ANOMALIES WEAKENED DUE TO SUBSEASONAL VARIABILITY, BUT STILL REFLECTED ASPECTS  
OF LA NIñA. LOW-LEVEL WESTERLY WIND ANOMALIES WERE PRESENT OVER THE WESTERN  
EQUATORIAL PACIFIC, AND UPPER-LEVEL WESTERLY WIND ANOMALIES CONTINUED ACROSS  
THE EAST-CENTRAL EQUATORIAL PACIFIC. SUPPRESSED CONVECTION WAS WEAKLY EVIDENT  
NEAR THE DATE LINE AND OVER THE EQUATORIAL MARITIME CONTINENT, WITH ENHANCED  
CONVECTION LOCATED OFF THE EQUATOR. THE TRADITIONAL AND EQUATORIAL SOUTHERN  
OSCILLATION INDICES WERE POSITIVE. COLLECTIVELY, THE COUPLED OCEAN-ATMOSPHERE  
SYSTEM REMAINED CONSISTENT WITH LA NIñA.  
 
PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION OF SST FORECASTS  
 
THE NORTH AMERICAN MULTI-MODEL ENSEMBLE (NMME) AVERAGE, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL  
CENTERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION (NCEP) CLIMATE FORECAST SYSTEM VERSION 2  
(CFSV2), FAVOR THE ONSET OF ENSO-NEUTRAL IN FEBRUARY-APRIL 2026. THE TEAM  
CONSENSUS ALSO REFLECTS THIS OUTCOME, WITH ENSO-NEUTRAL PERSISTING THROUGH THE  
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SUMMER 2026. FOR THE LATE SUMMER AND BEYOND, THERE IS A  
50-60% CHANCE OF EL NIñO FORMING, THOUGH MODEL UNCERTAINTY REMAINS  
CONSIDERABLE AND FORECASTS MADE THIS TIME OF YEAR TEND TO HAVE LOWER ACCURACY.  
IN SUMMARY, A TRANSITION FROM LA NIñA TO ENSO-NEUTRAL IS EXPECTED IN  
FEBRUARY-APRIL 2026 (60% CHANCE), WITH ENSO-NEUTRAL LIKELY PERSISTING THROUGH  
THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SUMMER (56% CHANCE IN JUNE-AUGUST 2026).  
 
ACCORDING TO THE ENSO TEAM, THERE IS A 75% CHANCE OF A TRANSITION TO  
ENSO-NEUTRAL CONDITIONS DURING JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH (JFM) 2026. ENSO-NEUTRAL  
CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE LATE  
SPRING BEFORE POTENTIALLY SHIFTING TOWARD EL NINO IN THE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL  
OF 2026. WHILE THE CHANCE OF EL NINO IS HIGHER THAN THE CHANCE OF ENSO-NEUTRAL  
OR LA NINA FOR THOSE SEASONS, MODEL PREDICTIONS REMAIN UNCERTAIN DUE TO LOWER  
FORECAST ACCURACY AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH THE SPRING MONTHS AND INTO SUMMER.  
SOME LINGERING LA NINA INFLUENCE IS EXPECTED FOR FMA 2026, BUT THE POTENTIAL  
INFLUENCE OF EL NINO LATER IN THE YEAR IS TOO UNCERTAIN TO DETERMINE AT THIS  
TIME.  
 
PROGNOSTIC TOOLS USED FOR U.S. TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OUTLOOKS  
 
DYNAMICAL MODEL FORECASTS FROM THE NMME, THE CFSV2, AND THE COPERNICUS (C3S)  
MULTI-MODEL ENSEMBLE SYSTEM WERE USED EXTENSIVELY FOR THE FIRST SIX LEADS WHEN  
THEY ARE AVAILABLE, AS WAS THE OBJECTIVE, HISTORICAL SKILL-WEIGHTED  
CONSOLIDATION AND CALIBRATION, BRIDGING, AND MERGING (CBAM) GUIDANCE, THAT  
COMBINES BOTH DYNAMICAL AND STATISTICAL FORECAST INFORMATION. COMPOSITES  
DERIVED FROM THE CURRENT AND FORECAST STATE OF ENSO WERE ALSO UTILIZED.  
ANALYSIS OF ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS SUCH AS EXTRATROPICAL SEA SURFACE  
TEMPERATURES, SNOW COVER ANOMALIES, AND SEA ICE EXTENT PLAYED WERE CONSIDERED  
WHERE APPROPRIATE. AT LATER LEADS, DECADAL TRENDS IN TEMPERATURE AND  
PRECIPITATION WERE INCREASINGLY RELIED UPON IN CREATING THE SEASONAL OUTLOOKS.  
 
PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION OF OUTLOOKS - MAM 2026 TO MAM 2027  
 
TEMPERATURE  
 
ONE OF THE MAJOR FORECAST CHALLENGES FOR THE UPCOMING SPRING IS INCORPORATING  
THE EXPECTED TRANSITION FROM LA NIñA TO ENSO NEUTRAL CONDITIONS. COMPOSITES  
DERIVED FROM THE RECENT AND FORECAST EVOLUTION OF ENSO GENERALLY FAVOR WARMTH  
ACROSS MUCH OF THE WEST AND AN AXIS OF COLDER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
STRETCHING FROM EASTERN ALASKA SOUTHEASTWARD TO PARTS OF THE NORTHERN TIER OF  
THE CONUS. DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE IS MUCH WARMER BUT STILL REFLECTS A  
RELATIVE MINIMA IN ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE PROBABILITIES FROM EASTERN ALASKA  
TO PORTIONS OF THE NORTH-CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN CONUS. WHILE THERE ARE LARGE  
DISAGREEMENTS IN THE CATEGORY OF THE FORECAST PROBABILITIES, THE CONFIGURATION  
OF THE OVERALL TEMPERATURE PATTERN IS CONSISTENT AMONG DYNAMICAL AND  
STATISTICAL GUIDANCE. THE MAM OUTLOOK REPRESENTS A COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE TWO  
SETS OF SOLUTIONS. IN GENERAL, THERE IS VERY GOOD AGREEMENT AMONG BOTH  
STATISTICAL AND DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE ON FAVORING WARMTH ACROSS THE SOUTHERN  
TWO-THIRDS OF THE WESTERN CONUS. PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
EXCEED 60 PERCENT ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST WHERE THE WARM SIGNAL WAS THE  
STRONGEST. CONVERSELY, BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED FOR EASTERN ALASKA  
AND FOR THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES, AND PARTS OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND  
ADJACENT AREAS OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY. THESE AREAS OF FAVORED BELOW NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST AXIS OF REDUCED  
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE PROBABILITIES REFLECTED IN BOTH STATISTICAL AND  
DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE. ENHANCED PROBABILITIES OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
WERE KEPT MODEST TO REFLECT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE COLDER STATISTICAL AND  
WARMER DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE. UNCERTAINTY IS ALSO HIGH ACROSS THE EASTERN  
HALF OF THE CONUS, WHERE STATISTICAL ENSO COMPOSITES REFLECT LESS CONFIDENCE IN  
WARMTH RELATIVE TO MODEL GUIDANCE. NEVERTHELESS, MODESTLY ENHANCED  
PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE INDICATED FROM THE SOUTHERN AND  
CENTRAL PLAINS EASTWARD TO THE LOWER AND MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, TENNESSEE  
VALLEY, GULF COAST, THE SOUTHEAST, AND PARTS OF THE ADJACENT MID-ATLANTIC,  
WHERE MODEL GUIDANCE AND TREND SHOW RELATIVELY STRONG WARM SIGNALS. WESTERN  
ALASKA IS ALSO AN AREA OF HIGH UNCERTAINTY DUE TO WEAK OR CONFLICTING GUIDANCE.  
A WEAK TILT TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS INDICATED FOR NORTHWESTERN  
ALASKA AND PARTS OF THE ALEUTIANS, FOLLOWING DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE AND  
TRENDS.  
 
FROM APRIL-MAY-JUNE (AMJ) THROUGH JUNE-JULY-AUGUST (JJA), A NOTABLE NORTHWARD  
EXPANSION OF ENHANCED ODDS FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS FORECAST ACROSS THE  
CONUS. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED FOR THE ENTIRE SOUTHERN TWO-THIRDS  
OF THE CONUS IN AMJ AND OVERSPREAD THE ENTIRE CONUS BY JJA. THIS EXTENSIVE  
COVERAGE OF INCREASED ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE CHANCES IS SUPPORTED BY  
DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE AND TRENDS, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS.  
PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES EXCEED 50 PERCENT ACROSS THE  
SOUTHWEST AND ADJACENT GREAT BASIN WITH GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES NOTED FOR THE FOUR CORNERS. THE STRONGEST SIGNAL FOR WARMTH  
SHIFTS NORTH ACROSS THE INTERIOR WEST DURING THE SUMMER WITH GREATER THAN 50  
PERCENT CHANCES OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES REACHING THE NORTHERN ROCKIES BY  
JJA. THE CONSENSUS OF DYNAMICAL AND STATISTICAL GUIDANCE HAS A RELATIVELY  
WEAKER WARM SIGNAL ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS. THEREFORE, EC IS INDICATED IN THE  
GREAT LAKES AND NORTHEAST IN AMJ. BY JJA, INCREASED CHANCES OF ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES ENVELOPS THE ENTIRE EAST FROM SOUTH TO NORTH BUT WITH ONLY  
MODESTLY ENHANCED PROBABILITIES. UNCERTAINTY ABOUNDS ACROSS ALASKA BETWEEN AMJ  
AND JJA AS WARM DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE CLASHES WITH COLDER ENSO COMPOSITES  
AND WEAK TRENDS. EC IS INDICATED FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE STATE DURING SPRING  
BEFORE YIELDING TO A TILT TOWARD WARM IN EASTERN AREAS AS THE COLD SIGNAL IN  
THE ENSO STATISTICAL TOOLS BEGINS TO DIMINISH. BY JAS, A TRANSITION TO EL NIñO  
BECOMES MORE LIKELY, INCREASING UNCERTAINTY IN THE FORECAST PATTERN.  
STATISTICAL ENSO AND TREND GUIDANCE GENERALLY DEPICT LESS CONFIDENCE IN WARMTH  
ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS AS WE APPROACH THE FALL AND BEYOND. EC IS INTRODUCED  
TO PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS AND ADJACENT AREAS OF THE  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DURING JAS. THIS EC AREA EXPANDS ACROSS CENTRAL CONUS DURING  
ASO AS UNCERTAINTY INCREASES. LARGE AREAS OF EC DOMINATE THE CENTRAL CONUS BY  
DJF AND BEYOND. INCREASED CHANCES FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE INDICATED  
FOR BOTH THE WEST AND EAST COASTS OF THE CONUS FROM JAS THROUGH AT LEAST JFM  
2027 OWING LARGELY TO RECENT TRENDS. ALASKA LEANS MOSTLY WARM FROM THE LATE  
FALL THROUGH NEXT WINTER DUE TO A COMBINATION OF TRENDS AND STATISTICAL ENSO  
GUIDANCE.  
 
PRECIPITATION  
 
THE MAM PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FEATURES INCREASED CHANCES OF ABOVE NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION FROM THE GREAT LAKES SOUTHWARD TO THE OHIO VALLEY AND AREAS OF  
THE ADJACENT MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH A LA NIñA  
SIGNATURE. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS OF DYNAMICAL AND STATISTICAL TOOLS SUPPORT  
BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE SOUTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE WEST AS WELL AS  
MUCH OF THE ADJACENT CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS. PROBABILITIES OF BELOW NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION EXCEED 50 PERCENT ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST WHERE RECENT  
TRENDS SHOW THE STRONGEST DRY SIGNAL. UNCERTAINTY IS HIGH ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST  
DUE TO A DICHOTOMY BETWEEN DRIER DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE AND WETTER TRENDS.  
THEREFORE EC IS INDICATED FOR THIS AREA. EC IS ALSO INDICATED ALONG THE  
IMMEDIATE EAST COAST OWING TO WEAK SIGNALS AMONG DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE. EC  
IS ALSO INDICATED FOR THE NORTHWESTERN CONUS AS ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS  
FAVORED IN THE MONTHLY OUTLOOK FOR MARCH BUT THEN THE GUIDANCE TRENDS DRIER  
DEEPER INTO SPRING. DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE IS IN GENERALLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN  
SUPPORTING BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALASKA AND ADJACENT  
AREAS OF THE MAINLAND. A TILT TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS INDICATED  
FOR THE WEST COAST OF THE MAINLAND, CONSISTENT WITH THE C3S, CBAM, AND TREND.  
HOWEVER, PROBABILITIES WERE KEPT MODEST DUE TO RELATIVELY WEAK SIGNALS AND LACK  
OF SUPPORT FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE SUITE OF STATISTICAL AND DYNAMICAL MODEL  
GUIDANCE.  
 
AS THE INFLUENCES OF LA NIñA WANE DEEPER INTO SPRING, THE AREA OF ELEVATED  
ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION CHANCES OVER THE GREAT LAKES DIMINISHES  
SUBSTANTIALLY IN AMJ AND IS REMOVED ENTIRELY BY MJJ. A DRY SIGNAL EMERGES  
ACROSS PARTS OF THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES AND UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FROM MJJ  
TO JJA AND MIGRATES WESTWARD TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS DURING JAS, DRIVEN LARGELY  
BY TRENDS. CONVERSELY, A NEW AREA OF INCREASED ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION  
CHANCES EMERGES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BY AMJ, DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY THE CBAM AND  
TREND. THIS WET SIGNAL MIGRATES NORTHWARD ALONG THE EAST COAST DURING MJJ AND  
JJA, WITH SUPPORT FROM DYNAMICAL MODEL GUIDANCE. THIS WET SIGNAL SLOWLY  
DIMINISHES TO THE MID-ATLANTIC AREA AND ADJACENT AREAS OF THE APPALACHIANS BY  
SON AS CONFIDENCE DECREASES. FARTHER TO THE SOUTH, A DRY SIGNAL DEVELOPS OVER  
THE FLORIDA PENINSULA FROM JAS THROUGH SON, PEAKING IN COVERAGE DURING ASO,  
POSSIBLY RESULTING FROM AN EMERGING EL NIñO AND ASSOCIATED REDUCED TROPICAL  
ACTIVITY. FURTHER TO THE WEST, DYNAMICAL MODELS AND TRENDS GENERALLY SUPPORT A  
NORTHWARD PROGRESSION OF FAVORED DRYNESS FROM THE GREAT BASIN AND CENTRAL  
ROCKIES TO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES FROM AMJ THROUGH JAS. A PERSISTENT DRY SIGNAL  
IS NOTED EASTWARD TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS FROM AMJ THROUGH JJA FROM THE C3S AND  
CBAM, WITH SOME SUPPORT FROM TRENDS. BY MJJ, AN ENHANCED MONSOON SIGNAL EMERGES  
ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST, SUPPORTED BY THE CFSV2, C3S, AND THE CBAM. THIS  
ENHANCED MONSOON SIGNAL, WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH DRYNESS IN THE PLAINS, AS THE  
PRECIPITATION PATTERN TENDS TO BE ANTICORRELATED BETWEEN THESE TWO REGIONS.  
SLIGHTLY ELEVATED PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ARE FORECAST TO  
PERSIST FROM MJJ THROUGH ASO FOR PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST, RELATED TO THE  
POTENTIAL OF AN ENHANCED MONSOON. ACROSS ALASKA, SLIGHTLY ELEVATED  
PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION PERSIST FROM AMJ THROUGH JJA,  
INITIALLY SUPPORTED BY THE C3S AND THE FINAL CONSOLIDATION DURING AMJ AND THEN  
BY TREND FROM MJJ TO JJA . THEREAFTER, ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS FAVORED  
ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN MAINLAND ALASKA DURING JAS AND SPREADING EASTWARD ALONG THE  
SOUTH COAST BY ASO, SUPPORTED BY ENSO COMPOSITES, TREND, AND THE CBAM. THE  
FORECAST FOR LONGER LEAD TIMES LATER NEXT FALL, WINTER, AND EARLY SPRING 2027  
ARE INFORMED MOSTLY BY TREND. THESE LONGER LEADS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY SLIGHT  
TILTS TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION INITIALLY ALONG THE EAST COAST DURING  
NDJ AND THEN MIGRATING NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD TOWARD THE NORTHEAST, GREAT  
LAKES, AND OHIO VALLEY FROM DJF THROUGH FMA, AND EVENTUALLY TO THE UPPER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DURING MAM 2027. FARTHER TO THE WEST, A SLIGHT TILT TOWARD  
BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS NOTED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS DURING ASO  
MIGRATING NORTHEASTWARD TO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DURING SON. WEAK TILTS  
TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION PERSIST ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTH COAST AND  
NORTH SLOPE OF ALASKA DURING THE LONGER LEADS.  
 
FORECASTER: SCOTT HANDEL  
 
THE CLIMATIC NORMALS ARE BASED ON CONDITIONS BETWEEN 1991 AND 2020, FOLLOWING  
THE WORLD METEROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION CONVENTION OF USING THE MOST RECENT 3  
COMPLETE DECADES AS THE CLIMATIC 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.  
 
FOR A DESCRIPTION OF OF THE STANDARD FORECAST TOOLS - THEIR SKILL- AND THE  
FORECAST FORMAT PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE AT  
HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/PREDICTIONS/LONG_RANGE/TOOLS.HTML  
(USE LOWER CASE LETTERS)  
INFORMATION ON THE FORMATION OF SKILL OF THE CAS FORECASTS MAY BE FOUND AT:  
HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/SOILMST_MONITORING/US/OUTLOOK/OUTLOOK.SHTM  
L  
(USE LOWERCASE LETTERS)  
NOTES - THESE CLIMATE OUTLOOKS ARE INTENDED FOR USE PRIOR TO THE START OF THEIR  
VALID PERIOD. WITHIN ANY GIVEN VALID PERIOD OBSERVATIONS AND SHORT AND MEDIUM  
RANGE FORECASTS SHOULD BE CONSULTED.  
 
THIS SET OF OUTLOOKS WILL BE SUPERSEDED BY THE ISSUANCE OF THE NEW SET NEXT  
MONTH ON MAR 19 2026  
 
1991-2020 BASE PERIOD MEANS WERE IMPLEMENTED EFFECTIVE WITH THE MAY 20, 2021  
FORECAST RELEASE.  
 
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