On Tuesday NOAA/SPC issued 495 severe weather reports, mostly damaging wind gusts. The amount was slightly higher than the previous high amount for 2021 (480 reports on April 9). The 2-day total for severe weather reports is a whopping 922!

The 2020-21 cool season valid October 202o to April 2021 produced a warmer-than-normal climate and below normal heating demand for the U.S. The two exceptions are the month of February which included the arctic outbreak into the Central U.S. with greatest impact on Texas and also April which was slightly cooler than normal.

There are hot spots in the 10-day forecast, most of them in Texas. The Desert Southwest into southern California is also hot at times. A heat spike is projected for the Mid-Atlantic States May 4th when temperatures surge into the 90’s!

A weekly review of the North Atlantic SSTA pattern as tropical cyclone season approaches is underway. Currently, the North Atlantic basin averages +0.55C which is somewhat warmer than normal. Most of the anomalous warmth is in the Gulf of Mexico, the subtropics and middle latitudes. The tropics are generally near normal except for sudden and recent warming of the far eastern tropical North Atlantic.