On Thursday, NOAA released its winter outlook for the United States for December 2024 and January and February 2025. The forecast examines how temperatures and precipitation will vary compared to typical levels.
The driving pattern across the United States this winter will be La Nina. La Nina is a weather pattern in the Eastern Pacific off the coast of Ecuador that causes unusually cool water temperatures near South America. This cooling has an impact on weather patterns across North America and is most pronounced in the winter months.
La Niña winters typically cause temperatures on the front range of the Rockies and points north into Alaska to experience overall colder-than-normal conditions during the winter months.
The NOAA forecast indicates that areas from South Dakota west toward Oregon and Washington state are likely to see colder than normal conditions. Areas across the southern United States, from Arizona to Florida and north into New England, are likely to see temperatures that are warmer than typically expected during the winter months.
La Niña also has an impact on rain and snow during the winter months. A very active northern storm track should bring better-than-normal conditions to the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. This would mean a lot more snow in the higher elevations of those regions. The Great Lakes are also likely to see above-normal precipitation, most of which is likely to be in the form of snow.
With the storm track more active across the northern United States, the south looks likely to miss out on its normal precipitation. We can expect drier than normal conditions this winter from Arizona to Florida. In these areas even short-term drought conditions are possible for some. The season drought forecast shows the likelihood of drought developing in the yellow areas this winter.
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