Spring Outlook: What to Expect

Temperatures from April to June are predicted to be near or above average across the United States, according to an outlook released Thursday by The Weather Company, an IBM Business.

The best chances for warmer-than-average temperatures are from the West to much of the Rockies, Plains, Great Lakes and Northeast for the three-month period.

Near- or slightly above-average temperatures are forecast from April to June across the northern tier from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern Plains, as well as from the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

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Here are the month-by-month details for the next three months.

April

Above-average warmth is expected in April across a broad area from the Desert Southwest to the Central and Southern Plains, Midwest, South and East.

Temperatures are predicted to be near average or slightly warmer from California to the Great Basin, Northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley.

The only areas forecast to have near average or slightly colder temperatures are the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies.

May

Widespread warmth is likely in May.

Much of the West to the Rockies, Plains, Midwest and Northeast is expected to have above-average temperatures. Far-above-average temperatures are predicted in parts of eastern Utah and western Colorado.

Near-average or slightly warmer temperatures are forecast in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

June

The first month of summer could be very warm in the western half of the U.S.

Above-average temperatures are expected from the West to the Rockies and Plains. Far-above-average warmth is expected in parts of the Rockies and Great Basin.

Temperatures will likely be near average or slightly warmer from the Mississippi Valley to the Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic.

The only spots that may have near average or slightly cooler temperatures are the southern Appalachians and Southeast.

Why All the Warmth?

"The big story since January continues to be the historically strong polar vortex, which will likely keep trucking along right into April," said Dr. Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company. "The strong vortex has generally contained the coldest air at higher latitudes and has resulted in widespread (and, in some cases, breaking records) warmth across the major energy demand centers of North America, Europe and east Asia."

(MORE: Europe Just Had Its Warmest Winter Since at Least 1850, Report Says)

A trend toward cooler sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and perhaps even La Niña conditions, are likely in the coming months, Crawford noted. Historically, this would be associated with a warm summer, and the latest climate model forecasts hint at the possibility of an unusually warm summer, especially in the northern U.S.

"We suspect a notably warmer outcome across the Plains this summer, relative to last year, with the Southeast the one area most likely to see below-normal temperatures," Crawford added.

The cooler Southeast forecast is due in part to high soil-moisture levels in that region following one of the wettest Februaries on record. A number of locations from Mississippi to the Smoky Mountains picked up over 10 inches of precipitation last month. Temperatures often trend cooler when soil moisture is high over a particular area during the summer.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.