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Wetter weather forecast for Gulf South this winter, though drought won’t disappear

Exposed ground is seen in a dried up river bed where the normally wide Mississippi River would flow, Oct. 20, 2022, near Portageville, Mo.
Jeff Roberson
/
AP
Exposed ground is seen in a dried up river bed where the normally wide Mississippi River would flow, Oct. 20, 2022, near Portageville, Mo.

Rainy weather is set to return to the Gulf Coast after an unusually dry hurricane season that’s contributed to crop failures, saltwater intrusion and record-breaking wildfires.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is predicting above-average rainfall throughout the South and lower Mississippi River basin starting in December, according to the federal agency’s forecast.

It’s welcome news for the parched Gulf South. Most of Louisiana is in the grips of an exceptional drought — the highest drought rating.

While forecasters predict the increased rainfall will reduce the severity of the dry spell, they still expect the drought to persist into the new year. A third of the country, including Puerto Rico, was considered in a drought as of this week.

NOAA is also forecasting above-average temperatures throughout much of the northern continental United States as we head into the first El Niño winter in four years. Maine and the Pacific Northwest are among the areas most likely to see an unusually warm winter.

But the temperature outlook for the South is murkier, with an equal chance of temperatures being above or below average along the Gulf Coast.