MILWAUKEE — The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center (NWSCPC) believes this winter will be colder and snowier than average in Southeast Wisconsin.
Wisconsinites can expect it to be cooler and wetter than average between December and February, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) U.S. Winter Outlook reportreleased Thursday by the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service.
NOAA says below-normal temperatures are favored from the Pacific Northwest eastward to the western Great Lakes and the Alaska Panhandle.
NWSCPC isn't the only one predicting more snow this winter. The Old Farmer's Almanac's extended winter forecast for 2022-23 predicts the Lower Lakes region will be "colder than normal, with the coldest temperatures in early December and late January to mid-February."
"Both precipitation and snowfall will be above normal. The snowiest periods will be in late November to early December and early to mid-January," according to the Almanac.
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In Wisconsin, the Lower Lakes region includes the southeast corner of the state, including Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, and Sheboygan, among other areas.
"One half of the country will deal with bone-chilling cold and loads of snow, while the other half may feel like winter never really arrives," said The Old Farmer's Almanac editor Janice Stillman.
In the U.S., NWSCPC is predicting warmer and drier conditions in the south, and cooler, wetter conditions for parts of the north.
US #WinterOutlook: NOAA’s @NWSCPC is predicting warmer, drier conditions in the South & cooler, wetter conditions for parts of the North.
— NOAA (@NOAA) October 20, 2022
What conditions could you expect in your neck of the woods this #Winter? Check out NOAA’s Winter Outlook: https://t.co/0fGgqLdvi0 pic.twitter.com/FfbbUi2tKB
NOAA forecasters believe drought conditions will also continue to worsen in the Western U.S.
“Drought conditions are now present across approximately 59% of the country, but parts of the Western U.S and southern Great Plains will continue to be the hardest hit this winter,” said Jon Gottschalck, chief, Operational Prediction Branch, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “With the La Niña climate pattern still in place, drought conditions may also expand to the Gulf Coast.”
La Niña is the drive for warmer-than-average temperatures for the Southwest and along the Gulf Coast and eastern seaboard, NOAA says. This is the third consecutive winter it is returning.
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center updates the outlook every three months with the next update available on Nov. 17.