May 2025 Review

May 2025 featured fairly seasonal conditions for the West as a whole. Stretches of cooler and wetter weather were interspersed with periods of warmer and drier weather, which is typical for this time of year. 

Most areas west of the Continental Divide ended up with below-normal precipitation, though a cool and wet pattern did occur during the middle of the month. There was also a pocket of above-normal precipitation across the Southwest U.S.

East of the Continental Divide, easterly winds and low-level moisture were more consistent with frequent showers and thunderstorms contributing to above-normal precipitation. This includes the eastern ranges and adjacent plains of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.  

Temperatures followed a similar trajectory to precipitation. West of the Divide, temperatures were generally above-normal except for right along the West Coast, where temperatures were near normal.

East of the Divide, temperatures were near normal in Wyoming and Northern Colorado, and below normal in Southern Colorado and New Mexico.

June 2025 Outlook:

June is shaping up to be warmer and drier than normal across much of the West, which is a similar outlook to what we hinted at in our Summer Weather Forecast Preview that was published back in early May.

NOAA's monthly weather outlook is projecting above-normal temperatures throughout the West in June, with the highest confidence of above-normal warmth over the Interior Northwest.

The precipitation outlook is more of a mixed bag, with below-normal amounts expected over the Northwest and Northern Rockies.

However, above-normal precipitation is expected over the Southwest and Southern Rockies, in part due to an active pattern ongoing early this month featuring remnant moisture from a tropical storm in the Eastern Pacific. 

The National Interagency Fire Center is projecting above-normal fire potential this month in many areas, including the Southwest, California, and Interior Northwest, due in part to above-normal warmth expected this month. 

Thanks so much for reading! The next monthly weather outlook will be posted in early July.

Alan Smith