2016-2017 Winter Outlook

“October 20, 2016,  Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued the 2016 -2017 U.S. Winter Outlook today, saying that La Nina is expected to influence winter conditions this year.  The Climate Prediction Center issued a La Nina watch this month, predicting the climate phenomenon is likely to develop in late fall or early winter.  La Nina favors drier, warmer winters in the southern U.S and wetter, cooler conditions in the northern U.S.  If La Nina conditions materialize, forecasters say it should be weak and potentially short-lived.”

The 2016 U.S. Winter Outlook (December through February):

Precipitation

• Wetter than normal conditions are most likely in the northern Rockies, around the Great Lakes, in Hawaii and in western Alaska

• Drier than normal conditions are most likely across the entire southern U.S. and southern Alaska.

Temperature

• Warmer than normal conditions are most likely across the southern U.S., extending northward through the central Rockies, in Hawaii, in western and northern Alaska and in northern New England.

• Cooler conditions are most likely across the northern tier from Montana to western Michigan.

• The rest of the country falls into the “equal chance” category, meaning that there is not a strong enough climate signal in these areas to shift the odds, so they have an equal chance for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and/or precipitation.