The Weather Network Delivers its Winter Forecast

A tale of two forecasts – warm and dry and cold and snowy

NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - The Weather Network's team of meteorologists are calling for two very different winter seasons for the continental US through the end of February.  A return to typical winter weather is forecast across northern portions of the country from Washington State to New England, while warm and dry conditions are expected to dominate this winter across the southern US.

A more typical winter weather pattern for the Midwest and Great Lakes will mean that major population centers including Minneapolis, Detroit and Chicago can expect a colder winter with more snowfall than in recent years. With Great Lakes water temperatures running above normal, expect high-impact lake effect snow events at times this winter, leading to the potential of widespread dangerous driving conditions and whiteouts.

While overall the Southern US will have a mild winter with temperatures expected to average at or above normal, arctic air will occasionally descend into the Gulf Coast region leading to the threat of hard freezes from time to time. The worsening drought across parts of the Southeast is unlikely to break and Southern California can expect a continuation of the multi-year drought.

"There are two very different weather stories for the nation this winter – a return to typical snowy and cold weather across the northern tier, especially the Midwest and Great Lakes which is ideal for those who love outdoor winter sports and activities, and generally warm and dry conditions across the south," said Chris Scott, Chief Meteorologist with The Weather Network. "The record strong El Niño of last winter has been replaced by a weak La Niña, and we expect this winter to unfold very differently versus what we saw last year."

Looking at other areas of the country, snowbirds who travel to Florida, south Texas and the Southwest will find generally warm and dry conditions this winter.  The Pacific Northwest is likely to see above normal rainfall with the typical threat for lowland snow, while the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic will see frequent fluctuations between mild and cold conditions.

Complete Winter Forecast details, including regional breakdowns, maps and charts are available at www.theweathernetwork.com.  Americans can access detailed weather information whenever they need it at www.theweathernetwork.com or by downloading The Weather Network app from Google Play or iTunes.

About The Weather Network
The Weather Network is a leading provider of weather and weather-related forecasts and reports on all platforms. Celebrating 27 years, parent company Pelmorex Media Inc., in addition to US operations also operates in Canada, Spain, the U.K., Germany and Ireland under the banners The Weather Network, MétéoMédia, Eltiempo.es and Wetterplus.de. The Weather Network and its French counterpart MétéoMédia are Canada's most popular weather and information services on TV, web and mobile apps. Eltiempo is Spain's leading multi-platform weather information provider. Pelmorex also operates Canada's National Alerting Aggregation and Dissemination System (Alert Ready) which aggregates and distributes emergency alerts issued by authorized government agencies. 

SOURCE The Weather Network