As La Niña climate conditions are back for a second-straight winter, above-average temperatures will show up in the South and most of the eastern U.S. That’s from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, which issued the 2021 Winter Weather Outlook that extends from December 2021 through February 2022.
NOAA says that’s consistent with typical La Niña conditions during the winter. They anticipate below-normal temperatures along portions of the northern tier of the U.S., while much of the South will experience above-normal temps. The Southwest U.S. will be the biggest concern as below-normal precipitation won’t improve the drought conditions in that region.
Below-normal temps are likely in southern Alaska and the Pacific Northwest eastward through the Northern Plains. The Upper Mississippi River Valley and small parts of the Great Lakes have equal chances for above, near, or below-normal temps. The highest chances of wetter-than-average conditions are in the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, Great Lakes, and parts of the Ohio Valley.
Drier than normal areas will include southern California and the Southeast U.S. The remainder of the U.S. has equal chances of above, normal, or below-normal temperatures. Widespread severe to exceptional drought continues to dominate the western half of the continental U.S., Northern Plains, and the Missouri River Basin.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)