Recap: 7/14/20 Southeast Climate Monthly Webinar

Southeast Climate Webinar Recap

Summary of the July 14 Southeast Climate Monthly Webinar

The Southeast Climate monthly webinar series is held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 10:00 am ET. This series is hosted by the Southeast Regional Climate Center, in partnership with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the NOAA National Weather Service. These webinars provide the region's stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing climate conditions such as drought, floods, and tropical storms, as well as climatic events like El Niño and La Niña. Speakers may also discuss the impacts of these conditions on topics such as wildfires, agriculture production, disruption to water supply, and ecosystems.

Register here for next month’s webinar on Tuesday, August 11, 10:00 am ET, which will include an updated hurricane outlook.

June Climate Conditions and Outlooks

Webinar recording is found here

Temperature: June temperatures were cooler in the North, and warmer in the South.
Precipitation: Below average precipitation for Georgia and South Carolina. Above average precipitation for southern Virginia, western Alabama, and northeastern Florida.
U.S. Caribbean: Above average temperatures and below average precipitation.
Storm events: Damaging winds in Daytona Beach, Fl; EF-1 tornado in Alabama. Tropical Storm Cristobal impacted the southeast region between June 6-8, providing beneficial rain to the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama. Tropical systems in June were low largely due to the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), suppressing tropical activity. The SAL also led to poor air quality impacts in Puerto Rico.
Drought: No drought in the southeast, except for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
ENSO: ENSO neutral conditions are favored for the rest of summer, with a La Nina watch for the autumn.
Looking ahead: The general outlook is that the summer continues to be warm and wet across most of the region. Most of the region will remain drought free, with drought improvement in the U.S. Caribbean possible depending on the tropical activity.

Water Resources

Streamflow: Above normal across parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia as well as the Suwannee River Basin in the Florida Panhandle.
Flood: Typical low flood period for Southeast except the Florida Peninsula, which typically has summer flood season...though not much yet.
Looking ahead: Streamflow forecast through late summer into autumn – above normal in the Carolinas, near normal elsewhere. Little to no drought expected into autumn.

Spotlight: Heat Vulnerability and Tools

Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is increasingly used to assess level of heat stress, especially in athletics.
WBGT is typically the greatest inland of the coast from SE NC through FL and westward to southern AL and MS, where values are the highest.
WBGT shows much local variation, with highest values found in low-lying sheltered locations in the sunlight.
The web-based 5-day WBGT Forecast Tool can be found at: https://convergence.unc.edu/tools/wbgt

What happened over June: Southeast Temperature

June temperatures were near average for much of the Southeast for the month of June, with temperatures cooler in the North, and above average temperatures for most of Florida. Only a few long-term stations ranked in the top five temperatures on record. The cooler weather was due in part to a cut-off low pressure system in June that moved slowly through the Carolinas and provided many record-low maximum temperatures. The warm air was pushed up and around the low pressure leading to higher temperatures in New England. The Caribbean was above average, where St. Croix had its highest June on record.

A look at temperature departures from normal across the Southeast in June. High Plains RCC.

What happened over the June: Southeast Precipitation

Precipitation varied across the region, which is common for summertime months. The driest areas were much of Georgia and South Carolina. The wettest areas were southern Virginia, eastern North Carolina, and northeastern Florida. The Caribbean was dry, especially eastern Puerto Rico.

A look at precipitation departures from normal across the Southeast in June. High Plains RCC.

Current Conditions: Drought

No drought in the Southeast, except for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Current U.S. Drought Monitor map for the Southeast. Maps are updated weekly. National Drought Mitigation Center.

Current Conditions: River Flood Status

There is no flooding across the Southeast right now, which is typical for this time of the year. A few areas such as the Carolina coastal plains are near flooding.

A look at current river flood conditions. NWS Southeast River Forecast Center.

Looking Ahead: Streamflow and Flooding Forecast

Streamflow forecast through late summer into autumn is near normal across the Florida peninsula, Georgia, and Alabama, but potentially above normal in the Carolinas due to greater chances of higher rainfall.