Weather Outlook for this Winter

Timed perfectly to arrive just after Colorado's first significant fall snowstorm, weather experts with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Wednesday released their outlook for the winter, predicting above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation for much of the U.S.

There are no clear indications whether Colorado might experience the longed-for big winter. In fact, in NOAA's outlook, chances are equal for above-average, near-average or below-average precipitation in Colorado.

The NOAA forecasters said they don't expect either La Niña or El Niño to play any significant role this winter. Without those large-scale patterns, the forecasters are looking to other short-term factors that might help predict winter conditions. That includes the so-called North Atlantic Oscillation.

"Under these conditions there tends to be more variability in winter weather patterns across the nation, especially in the Great Lakes region and the northeast U.S.," the agency indicated on its website.

Warmer temperatures are expected across much of the central and western U.S. Including Alaska and Hawaii, while the odds are equal for warmer, cooler or near-normal temperatures in the Midwest, along the Southern California coast and on the East Coast.

Precipitation is forecast to be higher than normal across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and northeastern Texas, with drier-than-normal conditions across the Southwest from Arizona to New Mexico. Drought conditions across the country have eased, with about 20 percent of the U.S. experiencing some level of drought, compared to 30 percent at the same time last year. Drought remains a concern for the sixth year in a row for the Northwest and the northern Rockies.