US winter likely to be wetter and warmer, forecasters say. If you want more snow, look south

WASHINGTON — Winter in the United States looks like it will generally be wetter and warmer, but not necessarily snowier, according to the federal government's official seasonal outlook and other meteorologists' forecasts. You can thank or blame El Niño. El Niño is likely to shift weather patterns to bring more moisture but with it higher temperatures. That should help erase persistent western drought, but it won't likely make northern snow-lovers happy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. Even though the weather service doesn't make seasonal snowfall predictions, their meteorologists said much of the northern parts of the country — including the Northeast, Great Lakes, Upper Midwest and Northern Rockies — should expect below normal snow, while the Southern Rockies, parts of the southeast and Southwest may get more than they usually do. The northern snow shrinkage is also predicted by private meteorology firms, with Salt Lake City the only big metro area where AccuWeather is forecasting above normal winter snow amounts. Chicago, Boston, New York and