Submitted Photo As shown on this map prepared by the Climate Prediction Center, North Dakota has a high probability of warmer than normal temperatures through September.

The Minot area has been experiencing hot and dry weather. Expect more of the same through September. That’s the take-away from the latest three-month weather outlook issued by the Climate Prediction Center on Thursday.

According to the CPC’s three-month temperature outlook for the United States, North Dakota has a high probability of “above normal” temperatures for the period July-September. Warmer than usual weather has the potential to aggravate already very dry conditions in the state, including “exceptional” drought conditions in Ward and surrounding counties.

The CPC notes that, “probabilities of above normal temperatures are increased relative to last month across the Northern Plains due, in part, to continued dry soils.”

As for precipitation expectations, the CPC concludes all but the southeastern corner of North Dakota is favored for drier than normal conditions through July. Then, August-September, the chances of receiving precipitation fall into the “normal” category with no clear indicator of above or below-normal rainfall.

In the short-term there is at least a possibility of some rain falling in the state.

“There’s a chance for widespread precip this weekend,” said Brandon Gale, National Weather Service meteorologist in Bismarck. “A front will move in sometime late Saturday with a chance of showers along that front.”

The greatest chance of showers, said Gale, was in southwest and south-central parts of the state. However, a second system will follow on the heels of the front.

“We’re expecting showers to linger into Sunday with little or no thunder,” explained Gale. “There’s no good idea on precipitation totals but there’s not a whole lot of moisture to work with, certainly not high accumulations like we saw recently. After this weekend it’s looking pretty dry for the beginning of next week.”

The NWS extended forecast through the end of June favors hot and dry conditions for North Dakota. The latest three-month outlook concludes there is an “elevated probability of below normal precipitation” for the northern and central High Plains through September.