The well advertised transition from El Nino into a probable La Nina has taking place rapidly early this spring. For some time, buoys across the Pacific have show much below normal water temperatures below the surface of the ocean, stretching from South America all the way to the Maritime Continents. Upwelling has been ongoing and "suddenly" water temperatures below normal have been observed at the surface near South America.
This rapid transition does not guarantee that we'll be seeing a La Nina later this year and going into 2025, but forecast model agreement certainly points in that direction.
How will this development impact the weather pattern across the High Plains? The pattern has been setup for some time - that is, it's active but yet weather system behavior has been somewhat erratic for the plains. The outlook through the summer has been generated, including precipitation chances and temperature trends. I have identified 4 specific periods this spring and summer where an extended period of excessive heat is expected. But with that, there are several periods of opportunity for rainfall later this spring that may mitigate some of the heat, at least initially in the growing season. For more detail, consider joining the growing number of crop and livestock producers and businesses that have subscribed to Hutton Weather Futures to receive weekly detailed outlook reports.
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