The latest 3-month outlooks were released by the Climate Prediction Center today. They show that for the next four seasons, above normal temperatures are likely in each season for the Southeast. This is based both on long-term trends in temperature, which have been gradually rising, and the impacts of the La Niña which appears to be developing in the eastern Pacific ocean and should gain in strength until next winter. Drier than normal conditions also have a higher probability of occurrence in fall, winter, and next spring. This could mean an increased potential for drought in the 2017 growing season, since we are likely to start out with lower soil moisture levels than usual.
Keep in mind that these are probabilistic forecasts. That means that even though the odds are tipped towards warmer than normal temperatures, there is still a chance of normal or even below normal temperatures for each season. And of course you can get cold snaps and warm spells within a month or season too, so your daily weather may not match the seasonal prediction.
