Warmer-than-average temperatures with wetter-than-average conditions are expected for the month of February, according to the latest outlook by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC).

On Jan. 31, the CPC released its monthly climate outlook for temperature, precipitation and drought across the United States for February 2024.

The temperature outlook favors well-above-normal temperatures across much of the northern half of the nation and near-average temperatures in parts of the Southwest and Southeast. No part of the country is predicted to have a colder-than-average February, the CPC outlook stated.

The highest odds for a warmer-than-average February reside in the Northern Plains, where probabilities exceed 70 percent, while odds for above-average temperatures in the Northeast are less than 50 percent.

Week-2 is favored to be below-average, the CPC noted, with Weeks 3-4 rebounding back to above-average temperatures.

Well-above-average precipitation (rain and/or snow) is expected across large parts of the southern, central and southeastern parts of the country, the outlook noted.

Southern and central California and Nevada have a more than 60 percent chance to exceed average precipitation totals.

The outlook forecasts below average precipitation is expected in the Pacific Northwest and around the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and in the Northeast.

The Central Plains is expected to see a much wetter than average February.

Well-below-average precipitation is slightly favored in the Pacific Northwest and in much of the Midwest and Northeast.

Drought across the United States decreased significantly in January 2024, with the percent of the contiguous U.S. in drought decreasing from around 32.5 percent near the end of December to about 23.5 percent by the end of January, the outlook noted.

The percent of the country in the two most intense categories (D3-D4, representing extreme and exceptional drought) also decreased, from about 6.5 percent to under 2.5 percent. According to the CPC, it’s the lowest amount of drought across the country since June 2023.