Prolonged Atmospheric River Will Impact the Northwest Early this Week

A weather system in the Pacific Northwest will produce rain throughout the day, before a potent atmospheric river produces a prolonged round of heavy rainfall, widespread urban and river flooding, and high elevation snow to the region Monday through Wednesday. Showers and thunderstorms may produce isolated damaging winds, a brief tornado, and locally heavy rainfall across parts of Florida today. Read More >

It was a very dry July across the Northland. Nearly every place observed below normal rainfall, and in many cases several inches below normal with totals only 25% to 50% of normal! It should come as no surprise that drought conditions have worsened regionwide, with widespread moderate to severe drought and a few pockets of extreme drought. Temperatures were generally a degree or two below average for the month. There were some hot days mixed with average and below average temperature days.

The CPC outlooks for August and the next three months do not suggest a clear trend for temperatures or rainfall. There are equal chances for above, below, or around normal temperatures and precipitation. With that, drought conditions are expected to persist into the foreseeable future even if rainfall trend towards average.