In the northern Plains, wintry weather will start early, back off in the middle of the season and return again before spring, forecasters said. While it has been updated since, many weather forecasters are dubious of its accuracy and validity.
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A new long-term forecast from Accuweather predicts that a few of those conversations this winter in the Northeast may not be as brutal as previous year, when a frigid and prolonged season left many at a loss for words.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other weather groups are all calling for a strong El Nino pattern to continue through the winter, which means mild temperatures for key markets such as the Northeast and Midwest, and the potential for heavy rains in drought-stricken California. “…There is an opportunity that [the weather] could change on us as we get into February and early March”.
Meanwhile, the AccuWeather forecast calls for a warmer and drier winter throughout much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states and diminished blasts of Arctic air across the upper plains and Great Lakes regions, leading to mild temperatures and light lake-effect snow relative to recent winters.
AccuWeather has the classic El Nino conditions for the winter… wet in the south and mild and dry in the north.
Overall, heavy rain will be widespread for the South. “As far as the biggest impacts go, I would look at Shreveport and New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama”.
“Ski areas in the northern Rockies may be missing out on significant fresh snowpack”, Pastelok said.
“Phoenix, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, should prepare for significant precipitation this season”, Pastelok said.
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Mudslides are always a concern when rain falls on burn areas, and flooding is a risk, as well. The 2015-16 season may yield triple the amount of snow that fell past year in California’s central and northern mountains, although even that amount may not be enough to end the state’s water crisis.
