How will the weather treat us in the approaching winter season? This is a topic that specialists have been following, especially now when it is known that the climatological phenomenon called El Niño will gain more strength in the coming months and will affect in one way or another the way of life of the population throughout the country.
Just this week, new prediction models from the National Weather Service (NWS) emerged, which indicate that in the particular case of residents of the Washington metropolitan area they could see a warmer than average winter, although slightly snowier than last winter season, where snow was virtually absent in the region.
It is expected to continue until March,
The same NWS, which is an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, indicated in its latest report that the strengthening of the El Niño weather pattern, which influences both temperature and precipitation, should continue until March.
The NWS precipitation outlook shows increased chances of above-normal precipitation volumes in the Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia, DC, and Maryland.
Elsewhere in the country, temperature outlooks for October-December favor above-normal temperatures from Alaska and the Great Lakes to parts of the Southern Plains, Florida, and the East and Gulf coasts.
The highest chances (60 percent) of above-normal temperatures are on Alaska's North Slope. The Pacific Northwest and northern New England have a better than 50 percent chance of normal or above normal temperatures.
At the same time, the East Coast is expected to experience above-normal precipitation during the middle of winter. Uncertainty is high along the entire west coast, which tends to be warmer, contrary to typical El Niño patterns. But given the possibility of a strong El Niño, areas from Southern California to Alaska's North Slope could see above-normal precipitation as the winter progresses.
Different forecasts
Other long-term outlooks suggest cold, snowy weather this winter.
- The Farmer's Almanac suggests in its expanded 2023-24 winter forecast that “the cold is back,” but also that snow plows will see plenty of action.
- In Virginia, DC and Maryland, the Farmer's Almanac predicts "icy, scaly and slushy" conditions this winter.
- The competing Old Farmer's Almanac predicts lots of snow and cold in its winter 2024 forecast.
- That outlook suggests winter in the DMV will be cold and snowy.
