NOAA releases outlook for upcoming winter season

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -- While we are still roughly two months away until the first day of winter, colder days are ahead and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, released their outlook for the upcoming winter season.

The outlooks run from December through February, which is considered meteorological winter.

NOAA is predicting the winter will favor a La Nina weather pattern.

Temperature outlooks show the southwestern states, the gulf coast and east coast will favor above average temperatures while cooler than average temperatures are favored across the northwestern states east towards the Upper Midwest and western Great Lakes.

As far as precipitation goes, the southwestern states and most of the southern states and southern plains will trend drier than average while above average precipitation favors the northwestern states and the Great Lakes.

In our area, the forecast looks to trend cooler than average with an equal chance of above or below average precipitation, but keep in mind that it could sway in one direction or another.

One other thing to make note of is the drought outlook indicates the ongoing drought conditions in our area will continue and potentially even worsen.