You can thank or blame El Niño .
WASHINGTON — Winter in the United States looks like it will generally be wetter and warmer , but not necessarily snowier, according to the federal government’s seasonal outlook and other meteorologists’ forecasts.
That should help erase persistent Western drought , but it won’t likely make Northern snow-lovers happy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. El Niño is likely to shift weather patterns to bring more moisture, but with it higher temperatures. The Southern Rockies, parts of the Southeast and Southwest may get more than they usually do. “Listen, even in the winter months, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to have snow. “So it doesn’t erase the risk. The Northern snow shrinkage is also predicted by private meteorology firms. Salt Lake City is the only big metro area where AccuWeather expects above-normal winter snow amounts. And a White Christmas ?
All this is on top of a U.S. winter that has warmed about 4 degrees in the past 50 years, predominantly from human-caused climate change , according to NOAA.
“This is going to be a winter that’s really difficult for them to find what they’re looking for,” said James Belanger, vice president of meteorology for the Weather Company. their meteorologists said much of the northern parts of the country — including the Northeast, Great Lakes, Upper Midwest and Northern Rockies — should expect below-normal snow While the weather service doesn’t make seasonal snowfall predictions. It doesn’t mean you might not have a snowstorm,” National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said in a media briefing presenting the three-month winter outlook. Chicago, Boston, New York and Philadelphia are forecast to get about half or less of their normal winter snow, the firm said. Consider a plane ride to the Southern Rockies, Belanger said. Otherwise, “Santa’s gonna find a barren landscape when he returns in late December.”
