U.S. Winter Outlook

Wondering how busy the snow and ice management part of your business might be this winter? A wet winter is predicted for many northern parts of the U.S., while drought is expected to persist in Great Plains, and parts of the West. From December 2022 through February 2023, wetter-than-average conditions are predicted for areas of the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest. The prediction comes from NOAA’s U.S. Winter Outlook by the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, La Niña returns for the third consecutive winter this year, which will drive warmer-than-average temperatures for the Southwest and along the Gulf Coast and eastern seaboard. NOAA predicts drier-than-average conditions across the South. “The hardworking forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center produce timely and accurate seasonal outlooks and short-term forecasts year-round,” said Michael Farrar, Ph.D., director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. “NOAA’s new supercomputers are enabling us to develop even better, more detailed forecast capabilities, which we’ll be rolling out in the coming years.” NOAA forecasters, in collaboration with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), continue to monitor extreme, ongoing drought conditions that have persisted in the Western U.S. since late 2020, as well as parts of the central U.S. where historic low-water conditions are currently present. “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, ...