Parts of the United States are set to receive a cold and windy winter thanks to La Niña.
Temperatures in the northern Plains could fall to less than 30 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, according to an AccuWeather forecast.
And for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states – and specifically New York City or Boston – an above-normal snow season is to be expected.
Parts of the United States are set to receive a cold and windy winter thanks to La Niña, revealed an AccuWeather forecast
For the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states – and specifically New York City (pictured, January 2016) or Boston – an above-normal snow season is to be expected
According to AccuWeather, areas that typically receive large amounts of lake-effect snow – including Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo, New York – will be getting hit quite heavily.
Both snow and ice are predicted in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and throughout the Northeast.
In addition to being colder than last year, snowfall in New York City and Boston could be about six inches above normal, ‘within a few inches,’ meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
Additionally, the forecast holds good news for skiers and those who believe it isn’t Christmas without snow.
‘I think this year is going to bring a good ski season in the Northeast,’ Pastelok said. ‘And around the holidays we should have some snow for the interior Northeast.’
Although Northern California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range is expected to be less snowy, it should still receive enough snowfall for good skiing conditions in the Northwest, including the Cascades, and the Rockies.
‘I think the Bitterroot chain all the way down to the Wasatch region in the central and northern Rockies has a good shot to be above normal on snowfall this season,’ Pastelok said.
Meteorologist Paul Pastelock said the snow will make for ‘a good ski season in the Northeast’ (Pictured, Washington, DC, March 2015)
Arctic blasts are expected to freeze the northern Plains this winter with temperatures sinking to subzero levels on a regular basis (Pictured, Brooklyn, New York, January 2016)
Arctic blasts are expected to freeze the northern Plains this winter with temperatures sinking to subzero levels on a regular basis.
In fact, temperatures could plummet to minus 30F at times in North and South Dakota, Pastelok said.
However, the frigid conditions are a trade-off for less snowfall.
The winter of 2016-2017 spawned colossal storms, dropping 140 percent of normal snowfall over the northern Plains and northern Rockies, according to Pastelok. This year will feature much less snow and drier conditions overall.
Winter will be comparatively mild in the Southern Plains, the Southwest and southern California, where forecasters say winter will be milder and drier than last year.
According to Pastelok, warmth will bookend the winter with temperatures capable of reaching 90F or highter by early 2018.