INTERANNUAL VARIABILITY(OBSERVATIONS)

• Simultaneous

  • The continental-scale precipitation pattern is a continental-scale pattern of interannual variability. Anomalously wet (dry) summers in the Southwest U.S. tend to be accompanied by dry (wet) summers in the U.S. Great Plains.

• Antecedent

  • Wet (dry) summers in the Southwest U.S. often follow winters characterized by dry (wet) conditions in the Southwest U.S. and wet (dry) conditions in the Northwest U.S.

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