National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Heavy Precipitation in the West; Wintry Mix in the North; Fire Weather in the High Plains

Pacific moisture will continue to bring locally heavy coastal/lower elevation rain and heavy mountain snow to the West Coast and portions of the Intermountain West through Monday. A wintry mix will create hazardous travel across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest into early Monday. Dry, gusty winds are resulting in elevated to critical fire weather in the south/central High Plains. Read More >

A La Niña Watch has been issued by the Climate Prediction Center. There is a 50-55% chance of La Niña conditions developing this fall and continuing through the winter.

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Below is a map of the typical effect La Niña has on the November-March temperatures in the United States. The yellow and orange colors indicate areas where temperatures often average warmer than normal during a La Niña winter:

La Nina temperature anomalies

 

 

Here is a map showing the typical effect La Niña has on November-March precipitation. The blue and green colors in the Ohio Valley indicate a tendency toward wetter than normal conditions:

La Nina precipitation anomalies

 

It is important to remember:

  • The influence of La Niña on the Ohio Valley is not very strong
  • Every La Niña is different, and not all La Niña winters behave the same way
  • The strength of the La Niña may make a difference in how it affects our weather both in terms of precipitation and temperature  (so far, this La Niña is expected to be weak)
  • There are myriad factors that work together to result in the weather we experience -- La Niña is just one of them