It has already been a warmer-than-average March, and the coming weekend will bring more well-above-average warmth. Let's dive into why we see changing seasons, and then we'll break down what changes to expect over the next few months.
The Earth is tilted on its axis at a 23.5-degree angle. It's this tilt that causes our Earth to see different amounts of sunlight at different times of the year.
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As the Earth revolves around the sun, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards and away from the sun at different times of the year.
The Vernal Equinox, which marks the beginning of spring, is a day where we have equal amounts of darkness and sunlight. From this point forward, as we head towards the start of summer, we will gradually see increasing sunlight and increasing warmth across the northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere will see the opposite as they officially start fall and head towards winter.
Our average highs will gradually warm up over the next several weeks. By April 1, our average high will climb to 68 degrees, and we'll reach the upper 70s by the beginning of May and the mid 80s by the start of June.
This does not mean we'll see these exact temperatures, but our temperatures on average should be around these values.
The Climate Prediction Center releases outlooks for the next three months so we can see how our temperatures and precipitation will trend in the coming months.
For nearly the entire country, temperatures are expected to trend at least a bit above average. The western and southwestern U.S. are expected to continue to experience above-average temperatures.
There is a bit of good news when it comes to our precipitation outlook. From April through June, we are expected to trend a bit wetter than average. Parts of the Deep South and Gulf Coast are expected to be even wetter.
This would be very beneficial, as we continue to severe drought across our area and a good portion of the Florida Gulf Coast is under extreme drought conditions. Areas in the Pacific Northwest that are experiencing drought conditions are not expected to see much relief as they trend drier.
