The outlooks for spring and early summer period have been released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Unfortunately, for Kansas these outlooks are neutral. Projections for both temperature and precipitation are that it is equally likely to be above or below the normal. The Spring Outlook shows Kansas between areas of drier-than-normal conditions to the northeast and wetter-than-normal conditions to the southwest. For Kansas, the average precipitation ranges from just under 18 inches in southeast Kansas and as little as 5 inches in extreme southwest Kansas.
The temperature outlook calls for warmer-than-normal conditions to dominate the country west of the Rockies and begin to move across the Northern Plains. Cooler-than-normal conditions are confined to the west Texas region. In Kansas, the average temperatures for the period range from over 65 degrees F in the South Central and Southeastern Divisions to less than 60 degrees in extreme northwestern Kansas.
An El Niño has been declared. However, it is very weak and it is uncertain how much impact will result from that pattern. An El Niño generally favors wetter-than-normal conditions in the Central Plains. The ridging pattern along the western Rockies is also expected to continue. This has resulted in a split pattern, with the Central Plains as the dividing line. Warmer-than-normal conditions are to the west, while much cooler-than-normal conditions are in place to the east.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu