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Winter outlook favors warmer temperatures

Posted at 1:08 PM, Oct 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-14 17:38:59-05

Forecasters from the Climate Prediction Center have released their annual winter outlook…

Winter Temp Outlook
Temperature outlook for the winter from NOAA

Above average temperatures are expected across much of the US..

Winter Precip Outlook
Precipitation outlook for the winter from NOAA

The precipitation outlook favors wetter than average conditions through much of the south, including the southern Rockies. A weak El Nino could help to bring abundant rain and snow to the south.

Again, these are 90 day “outlooks” from the National Weather Service. They speak to 90 total days of weather, relative to averages. They say nothing about day-to-day weather, which is to say, any given day can fall well outside the forecast.

But these trends take into account current patterns (which do clearly indicate above-average temperatures for the foreseeable future, and near-average precipitation for our area.) They do not speak to snowfall, but a loose connection can be made to…above average temperatures leads to more rain than snow, overall.

It is fair to say, though, that precipitation will be “elevation-based”, as much as “storm-track” based. That is a good thing, for snow lovers and ski areas. Even if the Plains are experiencing slightly above temperatures at a given time, it would be colder in the Mountains anyway, giving the mountains a chance at snow.

This actually blends well with my upcoming “Winter Weather Outlook”, in terms of snow…how much/where/when…which will be coming your way in a few weeks.

By the way, here are links to Colorado Springs and Pueblo daily averages and extremes/records (see far right, on each), for comparison.