CALIFORNIA — Meteorological spring starts Sunday while astronomical spring begins with the vernal equinox on March 20. Already, spring forecasts are rolling in, giving Californians an early look at what to expect as this unusually warm winter draws to a close.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center makes predictions about both temperature and precipitation nationwide for April through June.
Despite the presence of La Niña in the tropical Pacific, NOAA predicts it will weaken and transition to ENSO-neutral conditions by spring, likely lasting through the summer. This transition, combined with long-term warming trends, contributes to the expectation of widespread warm conditions.
The last week in Southern California felt more like summer, with record winter heat reaching triple digits in some places and shattering records from San Diego County to Los Angeles County.
In California, NOAA predicts no strong El Niño or La Niña influence, leading to more “average” weather patterns without the typical extremes between wet and dry associated with those phases.
AccuWeather expects wintry weather to linger in some parts of the country.
In California, AccuWeather predicts a warming, dry trend as the state transitions from spring to summer.
The Weather Channel said the shift to a neutral climate pattern will make the influences of La Niña less pronounced in early spring.
In California, the private weather service expects a transition from rainy spring conditions to warmer, drier weather, with some areas potentially seeing above-average temperatures by June especially in the southern part of the Golden State.
In California, The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts spring temperatures will be above normal in April and May, with rainfall below normal.