My one-line summary: Temperatures were crazy warm, and precipitation was well below normal.

Temperatures were elevated. The mean temperature was 34.1 F (1.2 C) versus a twenty-nine-year average of 29.5 F (-1.4 C) or 4.1 F warmer. Precipitation was well below average. The total for 2026 was 0.82" (2.1 cm) versus a 29-year average of 2.50" (6.35 cm), well below normal.

So what caused the warm and dry? High pressure dominated the west, while east of the Rockies, it was cold and snowy, even down to Florida.

Typically, the polar jet stream changes position every two weeks. This year, the ridge (high pressure) was over the West, while the trough (low pressure) was over the East. As anyone west of the Mississippi and for the last few weeks west of the Rocky Mountains, they'll all say, "It's been a tough, cold winter."

Can we escape this drought with enough precipitation to get through the coming summer? That answer is we'll need rain in March, April, and May to meet or exceed their averages. Here in Sandy, those averages are: March 2.08" (5.3 cm), April 2.38" (6.0 cm), and May 1.82" (4.6 cm). Those amounts total 6.28" (16.0 cm)