OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, CPC, is calling for a weak El Nino year. El Nino years generally bring more precipitation to the southern United States.
El Nino is a climate pattern that links sea surface temperatures in the Pacific to weather conditions in North America.
In West Virginia, we will see near normal temperatures and our far eastern counties look to see above average precipitation. Overall, the entire state looks to see near normal precipitation and temperatures.
Much of the north and west parts of the country — especially Alaska and from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern Plains — are set to see warmer-than-normal conditions, NOAA said.
The northern Rockies, northern Plains, Great Lakes, and northern Ohio Valley are likely to see below-average precipitation, including snow.
Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, predicts that this year’s El Nino is expected to be weak, so other climate patterns that can affect winter weather are challenging to predict on a seasonal time scale.
