The winter forecast
We are a few weeks into fall, and many people are already asking what the winter will be like. Personally, I do not place much faith in the seasonal forecasts, but there is some skill in making the forecasts, and some global weather patterns can be forecast several months ahead of time.The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center provides monthly and seasonal weather outlooks out to 15 months. You can check out all of the three month outlooks from this winter until January 2010 at the CPC web site at http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/. Not only do they forecast this winter’s weather, but also next winter. But let’s concentrate on this winter. The CPC issues forecasts for temperature and precipitation that is a probability that it will be above or below normal.
The outlook for this winter is for above normal temperatures for much of the United States, including the Carolinas. The greatest chance for above normal temperatures is across the Northern Plains, while the Northeast has an equal chance for being warmer or cooler than normal.
The precipitation forecast calls for above normal precipitation in Oklahoma, with below normal precipitation in the Southeast and Southwest. Normal precipitation is expected elsewhere.
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on 10/16 at 06:28 PM
