“This climate outlook provides the most likely outcome for the upcoming winter season, but it also provides the public with a good reminder that winter is just up ahead and it’s a good time to prepare for typical winter hazards, such as extreme cold and snowstorms,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Regardless of the outlook, there is always some chance for extreme winter weather, so prepare now for what might come later this winter.”
Storm Center 7 Chief Meteorologist Eric Elwell's winter weather outlook is available by clicking here.
Elwell said that warmer waters of the Great Lakes could also lead to increased lake-effect snow, especially early in the season.
“We may have somewhat of a delayed start to real winter weather,” Elwell said. “But once it gets going, it probably won’t take us long to realize it is a worse winter than last year.”
Other factors that often play a role in the winter weather include the Arctic Oscillation, which can influence the number of arctic air masses that penetrate into the south and create nor’easters on the East Coast, and the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which can affect the number of heavy rain events in the Pacific Northwest.
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