Monthly Precipitation-Temperature Relations and Temperature Prediction over the United States

The monthly mean precipitation-air temperature (MMP-MMAT) relation over the United States has been examined by analyzing the observed MMP and MMAT during the period of 1931–87. The authors’ main purpose is to examine the possibility of using MMP as a second predictor in addition to the MMAT itself in predicting the next month's MMAT and to shed light on the physical relationship between MMP and MMAT. Both station and climate division data are used. It was found that the lagged MMP-MMAT correlation with MMP leading by a month is generally negative, with the strongest negative correlation in summer and in the interior United States continent. Over large areas of the interior United States in summer, predictions of MMAT based on either antecedent MMP alone or on a combination of antecedent MMP and MMAT are better than a Prediction scheme based on MMAT alone. On the whole, even in the interior United States though, including MMP as a second predictor does not improve the skill of MMAT forecasts on ei...