US_outlook_monthly_annotated_1240.png

There's more to a monthly climate outlook than meets the eye. A full monthly temperature outlook includes the probability for all three possible monthly average temperature outcomes: well above average, near average, and well below average. The colors forecasters choose for the map show (1) whether one possibility is more likely than either of the other two and (2) how strong the chances of that outcome are. The climate is never 100 percent predictable, which means that even when one temperature outcome is favored, the others remain possible. NOAA Climate.gov map, based on data from the Climate Prediction Center.