The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a mild New England winter, according to the agency’s Climate Prediction Center.
On Thursday, the NOAA shared in its annual report that New Englanders will most likely see warmer than usual weather during the winter’s coldest months from December through February.
“We expect El Nino to be in place in late fall to early winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Although a weak El Nino is expected, it may still influence the winter season by bringing wetter conditions across the southern United States, and warmer, drier conditions to parts of the North.”
As for the rest of the US, the NOAA believes average or above temps are in store, with no one state seeing colder than average temperatures.
“That does not mean that below average temperatures cannot occur,” Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said in a statement. “For every point on these maps there exists the possibility that there will be below, near, or above average outcome. The maps show only the most likely category with higher probability indicating greater confidence.”
While the agency doesn’t predict the amount of snowfall any given region will get during the winter months, average or warmer temperatures compared to last year could presumably bring less snowfall overall to New Englanders.
“Snow forecasts are generally not predictable more than a week in advance,” the agency said. “Even during a warmer-than-average winter, periods of cold temperatures and snowfall are still likely to occur.”
Farmer’s Almanac predicts colder than normal New England winter
Meanwhile, the Farmer’s Almanac has predicted a cold and bitter New England winter.
“The real teeth-chattering arrives mid-February especially in the following zones: Northeast/New England, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Midwest, and Southeast (yes, even the Southeast will be in the chill zone!),” the Farmers’ Almanac predicted on their official website.
The Farmer’s Almanac believes the Artic Cold front will play a role in making winter a frigid one. The Almanac makes its predictions based on a secret formula created roughly 200 years ago.
After the FA predicted a hot summer for 2018, it is hard to tell who may be right. The NOAA or the Farmer’s Almanac?
