The Climate Prediction Center is issued it’s latest update to its Drought Outlook for November through January. The forecast relies both on the current drought conditions in the southeast, along with the typical weather patterns seen during La Nina winters.

The latest outlook, shown at right, calls for the development of drought conditions along virtually all of the Gulf Coast, and the Atlantic Coast, from the Georgia border south through Florida. This change from the previous forecast is in line with what would be expected in a La Nina winter, which calls for dry conditions in the southeast, and with the end of the 2007 hurricane season on November 30th.

Meanwhile, the forecast calls for some improvement in Tennessee and Kentucky, which typically receive more precipitation during La Nina winters. For the portions of Georgia already in an exceptional drought, well, no changes there.

Last week’s rain did little to improve drought conditions in Georgia, although it did provide some relief to Alabama and the Carolinas:

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The Climate Prediction Center has issued it’s outlook for the month of November, and the updated forecasts show the predicted effects of the intensifying La Nina conditions. La Nina conditions occur when sea surface temperatures cool in the Pacific Ocean. The cooler ocean temperatures alter upper air patterns, and tend to cause warmer and dryer conditions in the Southeast, and wetter conditions in the Northwest.

In the discussion of the updated outlook, the Weather Service says that while earlier forecasts were based on computer models predicting La Nina conditions, this month, actual measurements confirm that a weak to moderate La Nina has started, increasing the confidence in the forecast.

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