Story Created:
Oct 21, 2010 at 6:44 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Oct 21, 2010 at 7:32 PM EDT
StormTrack Central's team of meteorologists agree with N.O.A.A forecasters who say this winter will be warm and dry in the South, while the Pacific Northwest is facing a colder and wetter than average season.
StormTrack Central's team of meteorologists agree with N.O.A.A forecasters who say this winter will be warm and dry in the South, while the Pacific Northwest is facing a colder and wetter than average season.
Mike Halpert, Deputy Director of the Climate Prediction Center, says drought could spread in the Southeast, particularly Florida.
Halpert says a big factor in the outlook is the ongoing La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean, a cooling of the water which affects the movement of weather patterns across the country. But, he added, the outlook is not guaranteed.
According to StormTrack Central's Chief Meteorologist Jeff Cox, while warmer and drier than average conditions are expected this winter across central Georgia, that doesn't rule out any quick bursts of cold air either. According to Jeff, "although the long term winter forecast looks to be warmer and drier than average, short term cold spells are certainly possible and likely."
Also of concern are growing drought conditions. As of October 21st, 90% of Georgia is in some form of drought, which is up one percentage point from the week before. For Bibb county and those counties that touch Bibb county, there is a small surplus of rain, but for those counties in central Georgia that do not touch Bibb County, minor drought conditions are being reported. Chief Meteorologist Jeff Cox adds that the small surplus of rainfall Macon and Bibb county is enjoying could go away very quickly, renewing drought conditions for all of central Georgia.
According to Jeff, La Nina conditions expected this winter will be the opposite of last winter's El Nino conditions, which brought colder and wetter than average conditions to central Georgia.
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