Figs. 5a and 5b: Soil Moisture ranking in percentile based on 1916-2004 climatology as of 14 December (Fig. 5a). Wetter conditions dominate New England and the Northeast Plains and drier conditions dominate much of the Southern Tier States. During the past week, much wetter conditions developed over parts of the Pacific Northwest and Coastal New England with dryness developing over the eastern third of the country (Fig. 5b). Ref: Fig. 6: Map of below normal 7-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the day of year. Clearly, the Southern Tier States are starting to reflect La Niña conditions of dryness. Note: northern site gauges will become less accurate as rivers and streams freeze. Ref: National Drought Summary -- December 14, 2010 The discussion in the Looking Ahead section is simply a description of what the official national guidance from the National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers for Environmental Prediction is depicting for current areas of dryness and drought. The NWS forecast products utilized include the HPC 5-day QPF and 5-day Mean Temperature progs, the 6-10 Day Outlooks of Temperature and Precipitation Probability, and the 8-14 Day Outlooks of Temperature and Precipitation Probability, valid as of late Wednesday afternoon of the USDM release week. The NWS forecast web page used for this section is: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/forecasts/. Weekly Summary: A fairly typical La Niña weather pattern occurred this week, with heavy precipitation in the Northwest, very dry conditions across most of the southern tier of States (from southern California to Florida), and above-normal precipitation in the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys into the Northeast. An intensifying storm dumped heavy snows on parts of the upper Midwest (southern Minnesota and Wisconsin) and brought rain to the East, but after the storm left, strong gusty winds and frigid air produced heavy lake-effect snows in the Great Lakes snow belt regions. Well above-normal temperatures enveloped the Rockies westward, while subnormal temperatures chilled the eastern half of the U.S., including sub-freezing readings deep into southern Florida. Heavy rains also soaked Hawaii, especially the eastern-most islands (Kauai and Oahu), although all islands (leeward and windward sides) received beneficial and surplus rains. Alaska was fairly tranquil, with light precipitation limited to the southeastern Panhandle.
Figs. 5a and 5b: Soil Moisture ranking in percentile based on 1916-2004 climatology as of 14 December (Fig. 5a). Wetter conditions dominate New England and the Northeast Plains and drier conditions dominate much of the Southern Tier States. During the past week, much wetter conditions developed over parts of the Pacific Northwest and Coastal New England with dryness developing over the eastern third of the country (Fig. 5b). Ref: Fig. 6: Map of below normal 7-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the day of year. Clearly, the Southern Tier States are starting to reflect La Niña conditions of dryness. Note: northern site gauges will become less accurate as rivers and streams freeze. Ref: National Drought Summary -- December 14, 2010 The discussion in the Looking Ahead section is simply a description of what the official national guidance from the National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers for Environmental Prediction is depicting for current areas of dryness and drought. The NWS forecast products utilized include the HPC 5-day QPF and 5-day Mean Temperature progs, the 6-10 Day Outlooks of Temperature and Precipitation Probability, and the 8-14 Day Outlooks of Temperature and Precipitation Probability, valid as of late Wednesday afternoon of the USDM release week. The NWS forecast web page used for this section is: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/forecasts/. Weekly Summary: A fairly typical La Niña weather pattern occurred this week, with heavy precipitation in the Northwest, very dry conditions across most of the southern tier of States (from southern California to Florida), and above-normal precipitation in the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys into the Northeast. An intensifying storm dumped heavy snows on parts of the upper Midwest (southern Minnesota and Wisconsin) and brought rain to the East, but after the storm left, strong gusty winds and frigid air produced heavy lake-effect snows in the Great Lakes snow belt regions. Well above-normal temperatures enveloped the Rockies westward, while subnormal temperatures chilled the eastern half of the U.S., including sub-freezing readings deep into southern Florida. Heavy rains also soaked Hawaii, especially the eastern-most islands (Kauai and Oahu), although all islands (leeward and windward sides) received beneficial and surplus rains. Alaska was fairly tranquil, with light precipitation limited to the southeastern Panhandle.
dmrpt-20101216.docx