Panama City, Florida (WMBB) – If you’re visiting the city’s most infamous spring break during the month of March, there’s probably one thing on your mind. What will the weather be ?
While it’s nearly impossible to predict the day-to-day weather in March, there are a few resources and tools meteorologists use to get an accurate picture of how March will unfold for our thousands of visitors.
On Thursday, the Climate Prediction Center released a new 30-day forecast for the United States in March.
On average, the Florida Panhandle observes an average daily high temperature of 73 degrees and a daily low temperature of 47 degrees during the month of March.
In the forecast, the southeastern United States is described as having above average temperatures and below average precipitation.
Currently, there are a few global atmospheric phenomena causing this, an ongoing La Nina pattern, which is known to cause drier and warmer conditions in the southeastern United States.
Scientists believe we are expecting a suppressive phase of the MJO or Madden-Julian Oscillation, which would also bring drier than average conditions to the eastern United States. La Nina and MJO occurring at the same time could improve the likelihood of a slightly drier March ahead of us.
Finally, the upper atmosphere is expected to develop a negative Pacific-North America pattern in March. Generally, this pattern also creates more favorable conditions for drier and warmer weather in the eastern United States.
Sifting through these upper atmospheric signals and patterns can be quite confusing, but for now, the ingredients line up for a potentially fantastic time out for the Florida Panhandle.
A greater likelihood of hotter, drier days potentially means a lower likelihood of cooler, overcast wet days.
However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any rain for March, just maybe wetter weather in smaller doses.
March will kick off inclement weather in the southeastern United States, and Panama City Beach won’t be ruled out.
Above average temperatures could give additional energy to the already strong cold fronts we experience in the spring.
If you’re planning on heading to Panama City Beach for spring break, the conditions are actually good for good beach weather, but remember to double-check and triple-check the local forecast once you get there.
