NOAA: Spring shaping up to be warm & dry

This marks the first official week of spring.  To mark the occasion the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – or NOAA – has update its long-range weather outlook.

For April through June warmer-than-normal temperatures are favored for much of the U.S.  The exception is portions of Western Montana…Northern Idaho…and parts of Oregon and Washington.

Warmer-than-average temperatures this spring and low soil moisture will allow drought conditions to develop and expand in the southern and central Great Plains as well as southern Florida.  In the northern Plains, existing drought could intensify if subnormal spring precipitation occurs.

Both North Dakota and Minnesota can expect above average temps and near normal moisture in the coming months.