This winter will be less cold in the southern and eastern United States, which will help cushion the rising cost of heating bills, but also drier in the west, which has suffered for months from a lack of rain, according to the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) experts forecast based on La Niña weather conditions.
“In keeping with typical La Niña conditions during the winter months, we anticipate below-normal temperatures throughout parts of the northern US, while much of the South experiences temperatures above normal. normal, "said Jon Gottschalck, an expert from NOAA, on Thursday.
Wetter
than average
conditions are expected in
some parts of the
North
, including the Pacific Northwest.
This week, to begin with, a powerful storm will form off the northwest coast and will reach the intensity of Atlantic hurricanes.
Fresh air and homogeneous temperatures from coast to coast of the country for this week
Oct. 18, 202101: 29
In parts of Oregon and Washington, as well as central and northern California, these rains can bring relief and end the fire season with up to seven inches of precipitation.
However,
in Southern California, the Southwest, and the Southeast of the country, drier-than-average conditions are expected throughout the winter.
NOAA experts continue to monitor the widespread drought that has persisted across much of the West since late last year, especially the Southwest region.
[California Governor Declares Statewide Drought Emergency and Urges Residents to Conserve Water]
"The Southwest will undoubtedly remain a region of concern as we anticipate below normal rainfall and
drought conditions continue in most areas,
" explained Gottschalck.
In parts of California, nearly all of the water officials expected to receive this year evaporated or was absorbed by drier soil, a dynamic that is repeated throughout the arid West.
"The type of drought that we are seeing in the west of the country is not caused only by the absence of some storms," Justin Mankin, a geography professor at Dartmouth College and co-chair of the Task Force on NOAA Drought.
"An atmosphere warm water evaporates from the surface of the Earth
and reduces the amount of water available for other uses, such as people and hydropower and crops ,
" he said.
