It’s been a crazy few months for the U.S. in terms of weather. A lot of the country has been experiencing extra cold temperatures to start the year, so needless to say, many Americans are ready for the unseasonably cold temperatures to leave and for spring to begin.
Winter always brings cold weather to the U.S., but this winter has brought some of the most extreme weather incidents on record. It comes after a very mind end of 2024, which makes it seem even more brutal. Most of November was warm for the U.S., making people wonder if winter would ever arrive. Well, winter did arrive, and now we want it to leave.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released its weather outlook for the next three months, which is kind of their early spring weather forecast, and it gives a prediction of what to expect as the country heads into spring.
Early Spring Weather Outlook for the U.S.
The NOAA’s three-month outlook runs through the middle of April, so right when spring is starting. If you’re craving an early spring, areas of the country looking at a warmer three months include the southernmost states and also a section of the country from Arizona to Maine.
The hottest areas of the country, meaning the most likely to have above-normal weather, include Florida, the lower parts of Texas and basically the very southern parts of the U.S. starting around Arizona.
The areas most likely to get really wet weather include the lower parts of the Midwest, such as Indiana and Illinois, and the Midwest, in general, going up to the Northeast. Washington state is also expected to get wetter weather and the most northern, western parts of the U.S.
Looking at other areas of the country, the California fires have been a problem lately, to say the least, so some wet weather would be welcome there. However, the NOAA doesn’t predict wetter weather for most of California. They do predict an equal chance or wetter or drier conditions in most of the state.
Many areas of Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are looking at a drier season, which could worsen drought conditions.
The 2024-25 winter season is having a La Niña weather pattern. A La Niña brings colder temperatures and more snow, and per the National Weather Service, it “refers to the periodic cooling of sea-surface temperatures across the east-central equatorial Pacific.”
The 2023-24 winter was warmer across the U.S., because we experienced an El Niño weather pattern, which the National Weather Service says refers to “above-average sea-surface temperatures that periodically develop across the east-central equatorial Pacific” and brings warmth.
Farmer’s Almanac’s Spring Prediction
Meanwhile, the Farmer’s Almanac states that their “long range weather forecast says spring weather will take its time arriving, allowing winter conditions to linger, especially across the Midwest, Great Lakes, New England, and Northeast regions.” That’s not good if you’re ready for warmth.
They add regarding their spring weather forecast, “An unusually late winter storm brings a blanket of rain, sleet, and snow across the Atlantic Seaboard and mountainous areas in the Southeast during the first week of April.”