The unseasonable warm, and relatively dry, weather since January is expected to stay for a while longer. That's the outlook from the Indiana State Climate Office.
Officials with the state Climate Office based at Purdue say the weather pattern that’s producing the early summer-like temperatures well before they usually appear won’t change much.
However, they warn there could be frost at any time, and there is a higher-than-normal risk of severe weather, including tornadoes and thunderstorms. As far as rainfall goes, it’s expected to return to normal in May and June.
Experts say Arctic Oscillation and La Niña are the reasons for unseasonably warm and dry weather in Indiana. The positive oscillation locked cold air in Canada, instead of moving it into Indiana.
They say, in addition to that, La Niña’s typical pattern of sending wetter and cooler weather to the state, well into the spring, already is ending. Last year, it went into June and delayed farmers from planting crops for weeks.
This March is on target to be the warmest one in Indiana since the 1895. Figures from the state Climate Office show, as of March 27, the state average temperature for the month was 54.2 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s nearly 15 degrees above normal.
Researchers say the warmer weather should continue, but there’s still a chance of frost in the weeks to come.