DOI: 10.3886/e233267v1
title: Climate.gov Data Snapshots: Temperature - Three-Month Outlook

description: <b>Q: What are the chances for various temperature conditions over the next three months?
</b><b>
 </b><br><b>A:</b> Shaded
 areas show where average temperature has an increased chance of being 
warmer or cooler than usual. The darker the shading, the greater the 
chance for the indicated condition. White areas have equal chances for 
average temperatures below, near, or above the long-term average for the
 month.

 
 <br><b>Q: What data do experts use to develop these forecasts?
</b><b>
 </b><br><b>A:</b> Climate
 scientists base future climate outlooks on current patterns in the 
ocean and atmosphere. They examine projections from climate and weather 
models and consider recent trends. They also check historical records to
 see what temperature conditions resulted from similar patterns in the 
past.

 
 <br><b>Q: What do the colors mean?</b><b>
 </b><br><b>A:</b> Colors
 on the map show experts’ level of confidence in their forecasts for 
above- or below-average temperatures. Each location on the map has some 
chance to experience average temperatures that rank in the bottom, 
middle, or top of records from the previous three decades. White areas 
have equal chances for all three conditions. Colors show where the odds 
for one of the conditions are higher than for the other two.<br>
<br>
A common mistake is to interpret these maps as predicted temperatures. 
However, dark orange areas are not predicted to be warmer than light 
orange areas. The dark orange areas simply have a higher likelihood for 
above-average temperatures than the light orange areas do. Similarly, 
dark blue areas are not predicted to be cooler than light blue areas.<br>
<br>
Keep in mind that outlooks show the most likely condition for each region, not the only possible outcome.

 
 <br><b>Q: Why do these data matter?</b><b>
 </b><br><b>A:</b> Energy
 companies want to know how much energy people will need in the next 
three months. Temperature outlooks can inform them when they should 
prepare to meet high demand for energy. Outlooks can also help them 
choose the best time to schedule maintenance procedures. Forestry 
managers also check temperature outlooks for the upcoming season. When 
they see increased chances for warmer-than-usual weather, they may take 
extra measures to prepare for more wildfires. Managers in agricultural 
industries also want to know if temperatures are likely to be warmer or 
cooler than usual. This information can help them optimize food 
production.

 
 <br><b>Q: How did you produce these snapshots?</b><b>
 </b><br><b>A:</b> Data
 Snapshots are derivatives of existing data products: to meet the needs 
of a broad audience, we present the source data in a simplified visual 
style. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) produces the source images
 for monthly temperature outlooks. To produce our images, we run a set 
of scripts that access mapping layers from CPC, re-project them into 
desired projections at various sizes, and output them with a custom 
color bar.

 
 
 
 <br><b>References</b>
 
 One-Month to Three-Month Climate Outlooks.<br>
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/forecasts/
 <br>Source: https://www.climate.gov/maps-data/data-snapshots/data-source/temperature-three-month-outlook<br><br><br>This upload includes two additional files:<br>* Temperature - Three-Month Outlook _NOAA Climate.gov.pdf is a screenshot of the main Climate.gov site for these snapshots (https://www.climate.gov/maps-data/data-snapshots/data-source/temperature-three-month-outlook)<br>* Cimate_gov_ Data Snapshots.pdf is a screenshot of the data download page for the full-resolution files. <br><br><br><br>
description: Data is divided in to folders by image resolution -- full size (zip), small (png) and large (png). Occasionally there may be one image missing in a particular size but available in another size.<br><br>Data downloaded from climate.gov 6/17/2025.