As meteorological winter ends, the polar ice cap is near the record lowest amount observed during the 2011-12 winter. The polar climate was exceptionally mild this just-ended winter season.
Long-term drought concerns in the U.S. identified by the (experimental) long-term multi-indicator drought index which combine both short and long-term (up to 5 years) precipitation trend and water from snowmelt include the 4-Corners region including the Texas Panhandle, the U.S. Corn Belt, southern Mississippi Valley, and the Northwest U.S.
The 12Z GFS produced excessive rainfall on the West Coast centered on California and the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico centered near Mobile, AL. The amount forecast is for over one foot of rain.
The warmest SSTA on record for both the tropical South Atlantic and North Atlantic are occurring simultaneously. The daily tropical South Atlantic (TSA) index is a robust +1.36C while the tropical North Atlantic (TNA) index is an impressive +1.48C. Combined with El Nino warming across the tropical Pacific and an impressive SSTA average of +1.12C across the IOD region of the Indian Ocean, the global tropical oceans are the warmest observed within the confines of historical data.