New Maps Show US Winter Outlook as El Niño Strengthens

New outlooks issued by federal forecasters indicate what winter could bring across the United States, as a strengthening El Niño is expected to influence conditions across the country.

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) published its latest outlooks for the December-to-February period on Thursday. In it, maps point to an increased likelihood of above-average temperatures across the northern tier and wetter-than-average conditions in parts of the southern U.S.

Newsweek contacted the CPC for comment via email on Thursday.

Scott Handel, lead meteorologist at the CPC told Newsweek previously that the outlooks indicate the probability of seasonal temperatures and precipitation being above, near or below normal, rather than forecasting specific values or individual weather events.

An area favored to have a warmer-than-normal winter could therefore still experience significant cold snaps. Similarly, Alaska being more likely than Florida to experience above-normal temperatures would not mean Alaska’s actual temperatures will be higher, Handel explained.

This is a developing story, more to follow.