WINTER WEATHER A TOSS-UP
Friday, October 22nd, 2010 -- 11:48 AM
The National Weather Service in La Crosse has issued [url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=arx&storyid=58762&source=0]their outlook[/url] for the coming winter and your guess is about as good as theirs.Meteorologist Jessica Brooks says a moderate to strong La Nina is taking up residence in the Pacific Ocean. That?s a problem for forecasters as the colder-than-normal ocean waters haven?t proven to have a consistent affect on Wisconsin winters.
"There aren't major signals as to how that's going to affect us. However, it's more common in this type of pattern to have a milder start to the winter, and then have it turn colder," Brooks says.
For lack of a better word, predicting a La Nina winter can be a real ?crap shoot.? In fact, their outlook calls for an equal chance of a warmer, colder or normal winter temperature-wise, and a snowier, not as snowy or normal winter precipitation-wise.
Brooks says there could be some white stuff in the forecast next week.
"Looks like we're going to be coming into a wetter pattern. We have some (snow) in the latter part of next week," she says.
The average first measurable snowfall in our area is right around November 10th, but we?ve been known to have snow on the ground by early October.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.