Showers and Storms in the East; Dangerously Hot and Dry in the West

Scattered showers and storms are expected across portions of the Central and Eastern U.S. through the end of the week. Meanwhile, dangerous heat will intensify across the Desert Southwest and Intermountain West. Hot, dry weather and increasing winds will allow elevated wildfire conditions to return to the northern Intermountain West, where air quality issues persist from ongoing fires. Read More >

The Climate Prediction Center has issued a La Niña Watch for winter 2021-22. There is a potential for La Niña to emerge this fall and last through the winter, with a 66% chance of La Niña conditions during the November - January time period.

La Niña is a seasonal cooling of water temperatures in the central Pacific, coupled with changes in atmospheric winds, which can affect weather patterns far removed from the tropics. In the lower and middle Ohio Valley La Niña tends to increase our chances of wetter and warmer than normal weather. However, it is very important to remember that La Niña is just one player on the vast team of factors that combine to produce our weather. La Niña/El Niño is one of the better understood signals and can have a significant effect on weather patterns, though, so it's definitely worth watching.


December - February temperature anomalies during La Niña in western Kentucky and southwest Indiana	December - February temperature anomalies during La Niña in eastern Kentucky and southeast Indiana


December - February precipitation anomalies during La Niña in western Kentucky and southwest Indiana	December - February precipitation anomalies during La Niña in western Kentucky and southwest Indiana