Winter is coming − but how cold is it going to be? Federal forecasters from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center gave us their answer Oct. 16 in their annual winter outlook.
According to the forecast, a warmer-than-average winter is most likely across the southern tier of the nation, as well as in California and along much of the East Coast and Florida. Colder-than-normal conditions are expected in the Pacific Northwest and across the upper Midwest.
As for snow and rain, the northern Rockies and Great Lakes region are most likely to see plenty of precipitation this winter, the Climate Prediction Center said. However, a drier-than-average winter is expected along the nation's southern tier, especially in the Southeast.
The center's forecast covers the months of December, January and February, which is known as meteorological winter.
According to Jon Gottschalck, chief of the operational prediction branch of the Climate Prediction Center, "colder than normal conditions are most likely for a region from parts of the Pacific Northwest, eastward to include the northern Rockies, northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley."
