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Through climate analysis, National Climatic Data Center scientists have identified nine climatically consistent regions within the contiguous United States which are useful for putting current climate anomalies into an historical perspective.
Additional information about current climate anomalies can be found at the respective Web Pages of the Southern Regional Climate Center, Western Regional Climate Center, Midwest Regional Climate Center, Southeast Regional Climate Center, High Plains Regional Climate Center, and the Northeast Regional Climate Center.
Table 1 shows precipitation and temperature ranks for each of the 9 regions and the nation for March 2000, the two-month period of February-March 2000, the six months of October 1999-March 2000, and the past 12 months, April 1999-March 2000.
PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE RANKS, BASED
ON THE PERIOD 1895-2000. 1 = DRIEST/COLDEST,
106 = WETTEST/WARMEST FOR MARCH 2000,
106 = WETTEST/WARMEST FOR FEB-MAR 2000,
105 = WETTEST/WARMEST FOR OCT 1999-MAR 2000,
105 = WETTEST/WARMEST FOR APR 1999-MAR 2000.
MAR FEB-MAR OCT 1999- APR 1999-
REGION 2000 2000 MAR 2000 MAR 2000
------ ---- --------- --------- ---------
PRECIPITATION:
NORTHEAST 60 56 37 36
EAST NORTH CENTRAL 21 34 3 69
CENTRAL 21 41 12 8
SOUTHEAST 37 9 17 23
WEST NORTH CENTRAL 94 105 54 87
SOUTH 90 48 13 17
SOUTHWEST 95 93 16 87
NORTHWEST 40 58 60 39
WEST 34 79 40 39
NATIONAL 55 54 6 26
TEMPERATURE:
NORTHEAST 99 102 98 104
EAST NORTH CENTRAL 103 106 105 105
CENTRAL 91 102 104 103
SOUTHEAST 89 93 84 85
WEST NORTH CENTRAL 100 103 105 103
SOUTH 89 105 105 103
SOUTHWEST 75 98 104 96
NORTHWEST 70 84 100 85
WEST 74 90 103 87
NATIONAL 99 106 105 103
It should be emphasized that all of the temperature and precipitation ranks in Tables 1 through 5 are based on preliminary data. The ranks will change when the final data are processed.
Table 2 shows historical extremes for March, the 1961-1990 normal, and the March 2000 value for each of the 9 regions and the contiguous U.S. for precipitation and temperature. It should be noted that the 2000 values will change when the final data are processed.
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
DRIEST WETTEST NORMAL 2000
REGION VALUE YEAR VALUE YEAR PCPN PCPN
------ ---------- ---------- ------ ------
NORTHEAST 0.71 1915 6.56 1936 3.14 3.44
EAST NORTH CENTRAL 0.21 1910 3.50 1977 1.89 1.13
CENTRAL 0.55 1910 6.91 1897 3.92 2.63
SOUTHEAST 1.54 1910 8.89 1980 4.75 3.75
WEST NORTH CENTRAL 0.39 1994 2.10 1987 1.02 1.32
SOUTH 0.89 1966 6.28 1973 2.83 3.53
SOUTHWEST 0.20 1956 2.90 1905 1.02 1.73
NORTHWEST 0.58 1965 5.46 1904 2.72 2.32
WEST 0.09 1914 6.28 1907 2.23 1.34
NATIONAL 0.91 1910 3.89 1973 2.47 2.36*
* PRELIMINARY VALUE, CONFIDENCE
INTERVAL + OR - 0.29 INCHES
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
COLDEST WARMEST NORMAL 2000
REGION VALUE YEAR VALUE YEAR TEMP TEMP
------ ---------- ---------- ------ ------
NORTHEAST 25.1 1916 42.5 1946 33.4 38.9
EAST NORTH CENTRAL 18.8 1960 42.2 1910 29.9 38.7
CENTRAL 29.0 1960 53.0 1946 43.0 47.6
SOUTHEAST 44.9 1960 63.2 1945 54.7 58.3
WEST NORTH CENTRAL 19.1 1965 43.4 1910 31.2 37.1
SOUTH 43.7 1915 62.6 1907 53.6 57.6
SOUTHWEST 35.6 1917 49.0 1910 41.9 43.4
NORTHWEST 31.0 1917 46.0 1934 38.6 39.5
WEST 39.5 1897 55.0 1934 46.3 48.0
NATIONAL* 37.5 1965 50.4 1910 43.9 47.4
* National Values based on USHCN
Table 3 shows statistics for selected river basins: Precipitation rankings are for October 1999-March 2000, where 1 = driest, and 106 = wettest, based on the period 1895 to 2000. Also shown is the areal percent of the basin experiencing severe or extreme long-term (Palmer) drought, and areal percent of the basin experiencing severe or extreme long-term (Palmer) wet conditions, as of March 2000.
PRECIPITATION % AREA % AREA
RIVER BASIN RANK DRY WET
----------- ------------- ------ ------
MISSOURI BASIN 42 1.4% 25.2%
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BASIN 64 0.0% 10.6%
CALIFORNIA RIVER BASIN 45 13.1% 0.0%
GREAT BASIN 36 0.8% 0.0%
UPPER COLORADO BASIN 36 0.0% 0.0%
LOWER COLORADO BASIN 6 32.4% 0.0%
RIO GRANDE BASIN 9 50.7% 3.9%
ARKANSAS-WHITE-RED BASIN 57 0.0% 24.9%
TEXAS GULF COAST BASIN 16 64.2% 0.0%
SOURIS-RED-RAINY BASIN 2 0.0% 8.4%
UPPER MISSISSIPPI BASIN 6 18.7% 0.0%
LOWER MISSISSIPPI BASIN 5 63.9% 0.0%
GREAT LAKES BASIN 12 25.2% 0.0%
OHIO RIVER BASIN 17 61.2% 0.0%
TENNESSEE RIVER BASIN 9 70.6% 0.0%
NEW ENGLAND BASIN 40 0.0% 0.0%
MID-ATLANTIC BASIN 32 0.0% 0.0%
SOUTH ATLANTIC-GULF BASIN 16 20.1% 0.0%
The river basin regions are defined by the U.S. Water Resources Council.
Table 4 shows precipitation and temperature ranks for each of the 9 regions and the nation for January-March 2000. Based on the period 1895-2000.
1 = DRIEST/COLDEST, 106 = WETTEST/HOTTEST.
REGION PRECIPITATION TEMPERATURE
------ ------------- -----------
NORTHEAST 57 100
EAST NORTH CENTRAL 20 106
CENTRAL 30 102
SOUTHEAST 17 80
WEST NORTH CENTRAL 106 105
SOUTH 30 104
SOUTHWEST 82 101
NORTHWEST 66 89
WEST 79 102
NATIONAL 39 106
Table 5 shows historical extremes for January-March, the 1961-1990 normal, and the January-March 2000 value for each of the 9 regions and the contiguous U.S. for precipitation and temperature. It should be noted that the 2000 values will change when the final data are processed.
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
DRIEST WETTEST NORMAL 2000
REGION VALUE YEAR VALUE YEAR PCPN PCPN
------ ---------- ---------- ------ ------
NORTHEAST 6.10 1957 14.04 1900 8.63 9.07
EAST NORTH CENTRAL 1.64 1958 6.13 1998 3.95 3.12
CENTRAL 4.82 1941 16.22 1950 9.08 8.00
SOUTHEAST 6.28 1907 19.95 1998 13.03 9.34
WEST NORTH CENTRAL 1.46 1968 3.46 2000 2.18 3.46
SOUTH 3.71 1967 12.30 1990 7.22 6.10
SOUTHWEST 0.66 1972 6.65 1905 2.64 3.30
NORTHWEST 4.79 1985 14.74 1904 9.38 10.00
WEST 3.03 1972 15.17 1995 7.08 9.55
NATIONAL 5.04 1910 9.54 1998 6.52 6.36
TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)
COLDEST WARMEST NORMAL 2000
REGION VALUE YEAR VALUE YEAR TEMP TEMP
------ ---------- ---------- ------ ------
NORTHEAST 20.5 1904 32.4 1998 25.9 29.9
EAST NORTH CENTRAL 10.6 1912 28.4 2000 20.2 28.4
CENTRAL 26.2 1978 41.9 1990 34.5 40.1
SOUTHEAST 43.2 1978 54.7 1990 48.6 51.7
WEST NORTH CENTRAL 14.6 1936 31.9 1992 23.3 30.0
SOUTH 40.3 1978 53.2 1907 46.5 52.5
SOUTHWEST 31.4 1937 42.2 1986 36.3 40.3
NORTHWEST 26.5 1949 40.3 1934 33.5 35.9
WEST 34.9 1949 48.1 1986 42.5 45.4
NATIONAL* 32.2 1912 41.7 2000 36.7 41.7
* National Values based on USHCN
Regional Temperature - March 2000
| Based upon preliminary data, March 2000 was the fourth warmest such month since 1895 for the East-North Central Region.
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Regional Precipitation - March 2000
| It was the 17th wettest March on record for the South Region. For the last three years, March has been wetter than the long-term mean.
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Preliminary data suggest that March 2000 was the 21st driest such month since 1895 for the Central Region. For the last two years, March has been much drier than the long-term mean.
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Seven of the last eight months have averaged drier than normal over much of the Primary Corn and Soybean agricultural belt. This recent persistent dryness has brought a shift in long-term Palmer drought conditions from moderate wet spell to severe drought for the agricultural belt as a whole. The severity of the March 2000 Palmer index rivals that of the 1970's and 1980's droughts, although those earlier droughts were of longer duration. The growing season for the Primary Corn and Soybean Belt runs from March through September.
Regional Temperature - January-March 2000
| Preliminary data indicate that the year-to-date, January-March 2000, was the second warmest such period on record for the West-North Central Region. The last three such periods have been much above the long-term mean.
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Regional Precipitation - January-March 2000
| January-March 2000 was the wettest such period since 1895 for the West-North Central Region. Only four of the last eleven such periods have been above the long-term mean.
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January-March 2000 was the 17th driest such period on record for the Southeast Region.
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March 2000 Statewide Ranks
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Forty-one states ranked within the warm-third portion of the historical distribution for March 2000 while eighteen states ranked within the top ten warm. Specific rankings include:
- Minnesota - 3rd warmest
- New Hampshire - 3rd warmest
- Iowa - 4th warmest
- Wisconsin - 4th warmest
No state ranked within the cool-third of the historical distribution.
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| It was the seventh driest March on record for Iowa. Twelve other states ranked within the dry-third portion of the distribution.
It was the third wettest March on record for Colorado and Kansas and the sixth wettest March since 1895 for Oklahoma and Wyoming. Nine other states ranked within the wet third portion of the distribution.
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January-March 2000 Statewide Ranks
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Forty-seven states ranked within the warm-third portion of the historical distribution for January-March 2000 while thirty states ranked within the top ten warm. It was the warmest such year-to-date on record for Iowa, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. Other rankings include:
- Minnesota - 2nd warmest
- Nebraska - 2nd warmest
- South Dakota - 2nd warmest
- Michigan - 3rd warmest
- New Mexico - 3rd warmest
- Texas - 3rd warmest
No state ranked within the cool-third of the historical distribution.
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| January-March 2000 was the third driest such period on record for Louisiana and the fifth driest such year-to-date since 1895 for Mississippi. Fifteen other states ranked within the dry-third portion of the distribution.
It was the wettest January-March on record for Wyoming and Montana, the third wettest such year-to-date since 1895 for Kansas and the fourth wettest January-March on record for Colorado. Eleven other states ranked within the wet-third portion of the distribution.
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Palmer Drought Indices
The Palmer Z Index shows how monthly moisture conditions depart from normal (short-term drought and wetness). The March 2000 pattern shows extremely dry conditions stretching from the eastern Great Lakes and central Appalachians, across parts of the Ohio Valley, and into the central to northern Plains, as well as over parts of the Gulf coast and Pacific Northwest. The Palmer Z Index indicates that unusually wet conditions occurred from parts of the central and southern Plains to the Rockies.
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The animated maps show the geographical pattern of the moisture anomalies for the last 12 months. On these maps, the red shading denotes dry conditions while the green shading indicates wet conditions.
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The Palmer Drought Index maps show long-term (cumulative) drought and wet spell conditions. By the end of March 2000, long-term drought generally stretched across the southern tier states from southern California to the Southeast, then northward to the Ohio Valley, central Appalachians, and Great Lakes. Patchy long-term wet conditions were found across parts of the central and northern Plains and into the Rockies.
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The animated maps show how the geographical pattern of the long-term moisture conditions has changed over the last 12 months. On these maps, the red shading denotes drought conditions while the green shading indicates wet conditions.
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Preliminary streamflow measurements by the United States Geological Survey can be found at the United States Geological Survey's web page.
Current and historical drought information can be found at the Web Page for the National Drought Mitigation Center. The Center monitors current droughts both in the United States and worldwide.
Damage due to the drought has been summarized by NOAA and the Office of Global Programs in the Climatological Impacts section of the Climate Information Project. Crop impact information can be found at the USDA NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) and Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin pages. Drought statements by local National Weather Service Offices can be found at the NWS Hydrologic Information Center. Drought threat assessments and other information can be found at NOAA's Drought Information Center.
For more information, refer to ...References:
Thomas R. Karl and Albert J. Koscielny, 1982: "Drought in the United States: 1895-1981." Journal of Climatology, vol. 2, pp. 313-329.
Thomas R. Karl and Walter James Koss, 1984: "Regional and National Monthly, Seasonal, and Annual Temperature Weighted by Area, 1895-1983." Historical Climatology Series 4-3, National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC, 38 pp.
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center is the world's largest active archive of weather data. The preliminary temperature and precipitation rankings are available from the center by calling: 828-271-4800.
Historical precipitation and temperature ranking maps are also available on the Internet at: http://nic.fb4.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/regional_monitoring/usa.html.
NOAA works closely with the academic and science communities on climate-related research projects to increase the understanding of El Niño and improve forecasting techniques. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center monitors, analyzes and predicts climate events ranging from weeks to seasons for the nation. NOAA also operates the network of data buoys and satellites that provide vital information about the ocean waters, and initiates research projects to improve future climate forecasts. The long lead climate outlooks are available on the Internet at: http://nic.fb4.noaa.gov.
For all climate questions other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services Division:
Climate Services Division
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4876
phone: 828-271-4800
email: ncdc.orders@noaa.gov
For further information on the historical climate perspective presented in this report, contact:
William Brown
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: william.brown@noaa.gov
-or-
Mike Changery
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: mchangry@ncdc.noaa.gov
 NCDC / Climate Monitoring / Climate of 2000 / Help
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