NOAA: Winter outlook forecasts cooler North, warmer South with ongoing La Nina
Anthony Watts October 15, 2020
NOAA Claims: Persistent drought dominates the Western landscape
October 15, 2020 NOAA’s winter forecast for the U.S. favors warmer, drier conditions across the southern tier of the U.S., and cooler, wetter conditions in the North, thanks in part to an ongoing La Nina. Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center – a division of the National Weather Service – are also closely monitoring persistent drought during the winter months ahead, with more than 45% of the continental U.S. now experiencing drought.
“NOAA’s timely and accurate seasonal outlooks and short-term forecasts are the result of improved satellite observations, more detailed computer forecast modeling, and expanding supercomputing capacity,†said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator.
“From expansive and multi-hazard winter storms to narrow but intense lake effect snow, NOAA will provide the necessary information to keep communities safe.†Currently, large areas of drought extend over the western half of the U.S., with parts of the Northeast also experiencing drought and near-record low stream flows. With a La Nina climate pattern in place, southern parts of the U.S. may experience expanded and intensifying drought during the winter months ahead. “With La Nina well established and expected to persist through the upcoming 2020 winter season, we anticipate the typical, cooler, wetter North, and warmer, drier South, as the most likely outcome of winter weather that the U.S. will experience this year,†said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/10/15/noaa-winter-outlook-forecasts-cooler-north-warmer-south-with-ongoing-la-nina/
