Contact: Rudy Bartels (rbarte1@lsu.edu)

Southern Regional Climate Center

Quarterly Climate Impacts 

and Outlook

Southern Region

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook | June 2017 

Southern Region

June 2017

Highlights for the Region

• It was a warmer than normal spring 

(March-May) for the southern region, 

with all six states reporting warmer than 

normal temperatures for March, April, and 

May collectively. The year 2017, at this 

point (Jan–May), is the second warmest 

year on record for the southern region.

• Precipitation was abundant in southern 

Louisiana, eastern Tennessee, and 

northern Arkansas. Whereas most of Texas 

had below normal precipitation. 

• March 2017 brought wildfires to the 

western part of the southern region, 

Texas and Oklahoma. The wildfires killed 

7 people and thousands of cattle. The 

wildfires also destroyed over 2 million 

acres of land. April and May brought rain 

to put out many of the remaining wildfires.

National – Significant Events for May and Spring 2017 

Regional – Climate Overview for March to May 2017

Percent of Normal Precipitation (%)

March 1, 2016–May 31, 2017

May average streamflow compared to 

historical streamflow. 

Departure from Normal Temperature (°F) 

March 1, 2016–May 31, 2017

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies Streamflows

The above figure illustrates May average 

streamflow in the Texas Gulf and Lower 

Mississippi Basins as compared to historical 

streamflow. Streamflows in Texas are exhibiting 

near normal flow, except for in the eastern 

counties where a cluster of stations are above 

normal, and in the southern counties a cluster 

of stations are below normal. There are areas 

in central Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern 

Arkansas that are reporting well above normal 

streamflow.

Spring precipitation was variable throughout 

the southern region. Eastern Texas, southern 

Texas, northern Arkansas, southern Louisiana, 

and northeastern Oklahoma reported 150–

300% above normal precipitation. In contrast, 

parts of western and central Texas were 5–50 

% below normal precipitation. Northern and 

central Texas, northern Louisiana, northern 

Mississippi, and southern Oklahoma reported 

slightly below normal precipitation.

Overall, temperatures averaged between 1° 

to 5°F above normal for the period spanning 

from March to May, 2017. There were clusters 

of 3°F–5°F above normal temperatures in all 

of the southern region states. There were a 

few areas in southwestern Texas and southern 

Mississippi that reported 1°F below normal 

temperatures. The 2017 year still ranks second 

warmest for the southern region as a whole 

going into the summer months with an overall 

temperature of 60.43°F. 

The average U.S. temperature during May was 60.6°F, 0.4°F above average. The spring U.S. temperature was 

53.5°F, 2.6°F above average, and the eighth highest on record. May U.S. precipitation was 3.31 inches, 0.40 

inch above average. The spring precipitation total was 9.39 inches, 1.45 inches above average, and the 11th 

wettest on record. 

Material provided in this map was compiled from NOAA’s State of the Climate Reports. For more information 

please visit: www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc
#regionalclimateoutlooks

Contact: Rudy Bartels (rbarte1@lsu.edu)

Southern Regional Climate Center

Southern Region

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook | June 2017

Regional – Impacts for March–May 2017

Earth Scan Lab at Louisiana State University

www.esl.lsu.edu

NOAA/NWS Climate Prediction Center

www.cpc.noaa.gov

NOAA/NOS Gulf of Mexico Coastal Services Center

www.csc.noaa.gov

NOAA Gulf of Mexico Collaboration Team

www.regions.noaa.gov

NOAA/NESDIS National Centers for Environmental 

Information

www.ncei.noaa.gov

NOAA/NWS Southern Region 

www.srh.noaa.gov 

Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program

www.southernclimate.org

Southern Regional Climate Center

www.srcc.lsu.edu

Gulf Region Partners

According to the Climate Prediction Center, summer (June to August) temperatures 

for the southern region are expected to be above normal in all six states, with the 

greatest chance for warmer temperatures being in southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and 

Texas. 

For most of the region, there is an equal chance of above or below normal 

precipitation in summer (June to August), except for Oklahoma and most of Texas 

where there is a slight chance of above normal summer precipitation. 

The western states in the southern region, Texas and Oklahoma, had wildfires burn through their area during March. The combination of dry 

air, drought, strong winds, and warm temperatures contributed to the wildfires. The March 14, 2017, drought outlook showed the Panhandle 

of Oklahoma in extreme drought conditions along with most of Oklahoma in moderate and severe drought. The surrounding states were also in 

drought or abnormally dry conditions which did not help the situation. The wildfires burned more then 2 million acres during their duration. Much 

of the area burned impacted the large cattle industry in Texas and Oklahoma. The Panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma were impacted the most 

by the wildfires. By late March, at least 7 people and over thousands of livestock died according to Reuters (2017). Damage estimates are over 

$6 million for acreage that was burned in Texas alone. Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas declared states of emergency due to the wildfires. By late 

March and early April, most of the fires had been extinguished. Throughout the month of April and into May the drought conditions improved over 

Oklahoma and Texas. Oklahoma went from extreme drought in March to near normal conditions in May. Much needed rain over April and May 

improved drought conditions and decreased the fires as well as decreased the potential for more wildfires to form. 

The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season started 

June 1. The prediction for this hurricane 

season is near to above normal for number 

of tropical storms and hurricanes. There is 

not expected to be an El Nino which tends 

to cause less active hurricane seasons. The 

sea surface temperatures are above average 

over the areas where hurricanes tend to 

form which could be beneficial for hurricane 

formation.

CPC Three-Month Outlook 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Temperature Precipitation 

A = Above normal temperatures 

B = Below normal rainfall

EC = Equal chances

N = Normal

Outlook for June–August 2017

Above: The drought monitor map for March 14, 2017 (left), NASA Earth Observatory photo of the fires (middle), photo from the Amarillo Fire Department during the 

fires (right). Photo Credit: US Drought Monitor, NASA, and AFD.

March Wildfires