Could Be A Milder Winter for Our Region

It appears El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean could remain strong through winter and, if realized, that may not necessarily be a bad thing in many parts of the U.S.

Seasonal weather outlooks by the National Weather Service (NWS) and AccuWeather this month call for a mild winter in much of the Midwest. The outlooks also predict increased precipitation in drought-parched California and slightly warmer conditions in the northeast U.S., which would be a relief to residents in that part of the country who last year endured the second-coldest February on record.

“We’re in an El Nino pattern,” Kirk Huttle, meteorologist with the NWS office in Lincoln, told FarmWeek. “The outlook for winter is still looking mild."

The NWS outlook points to above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation in much of Illinois this winter. That could be a welcome change as the average winter temperature was the fourth-coldest on record (21.7 degrees) in 2013-14 and 30th coldest on record (26.1 degrees) last winter (2014-15).

Meanwhile, snowfall totals were above average in many parts of the state the past two years.

“We’re due for a milder winter,” Huttle said. “I hope that (seasonal outlook) pans out.”

Not all weather forecasts point to a mild winter in the Midwest, though. The Farmers’ Almanac calls for a snowy and frigid winter across much of the eastern Corn Belt (east of the Mississippi River), including Illinois.