South, Southeast have moderate flood risk
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its yearly Spring outlook yesterday, predicting climate and flood risk across the U.S. in the coming weeks.
According to the NOAA, the regions of the U.S. hit by heavy rainfall last week, most notably Louisiana, eastern Texas and up into Arkansas, have an elevated but moderate risk of flooding through the rest of Spring.
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Additionally, regions along the Mississippi and Missouri River basins and the Southeastern states (Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina) also have an increased risk of moderate flooding this season.
See the @NOAA U.S. Spring Outlook video, released today. https://t.co/KTIvwoepfQ @NOAAClimate pic.twitter.com/wlo24HlBDG
— NOAA Research (@NOAAResearch) March 17, 2016
Drought conditions improve in northern California
The NOAA also examined drought conditions in California and noted recent improvements.
Recent heavy rainfall and snowmelt benefited northern California, but the rest of the California is still in a persistent state of drought. El Nino storms battered large parts of the state in recent months, but, overall, benefits to the ongoing drought were minimal — other than in northern regions.
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Drought could appear elsewhere
Along with ongoing drought in southern California, both Arizona and the western part of New Mexico could develop new drought conditions this season, the NOAA said.
Above-average temperatures expected
The majority of the United States is expected to experience above-average temperatures the rest of the season, April through June. Exceptions to this are states in the Central and Southern Plains — Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and parts of neighboring states.
The NOAA expects above-average precipitation in the vast majority of the southern half of the country, but below-average precipitation around the Great Lakes and in parts of the Pacific Northwest.
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