Much of the U.S. can expect a mild winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agency released its seasonal outlook this week that covers December 2018 through February 2019.
The forecast expects mostly warmer-than-normal weather this winter for the western two-thirds of the country, with no areas of the U.S. expected to see prevalent cooler-than-normal conditions. As for precipitation, much of the lower Southwest, Mid-South, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions have the greatest chance to see wetter-than-normal conditions this winter.
Parts of the Great Lakes Region and portions of Montana and the western Dakotas are more likely to see drier-than-normal conditions. Much of the rest of the country has equal chances to see wetter or drier weather this winter, NOAA predicts.
The agency’s precipitation map, in particular, looks a lot like how a signature El Niño winter typically plays out in the U.S. That’s no accident – with NOAA currently pegging the chance of those conditions developing this winter between 70 and 75 percent.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.
Around three-quarters of the United States is more likely to be warmer than average than colder than average this winter according to the 2018-19 winter outlook, and drought is likely to persist or worsen across the Intermountain West. In this video, the Climate Prediction Center’s Mike Halpert offers a summary of favored climate conditions for December–February.
Video produced by the Climate.gov in cooperation with the Climate Prediction Center.