Just keeping tabs on that bitch La Niña, trying to figure out what she’s gonna give us this winter. To some, worrying about the forecast for some resort 2,000 miles away and 5 months in the future might seem obsessive. It is.
But you’re trying to figure out where to take your vacation this winter (I’m always trying to figure out where to go next), you’ve gotta keep the long-range forecasts at least in the back of your mind.
If you’re wondering, there was a dusting of snow at Snowbird Resort in Utah last night…
Optimistic winter forecasts for Midwest / Michigan
After a fairly warm & humid summer, I’d really like to get an early snowfall and extended season in Michigan this year, with none of those damned mid-winter thaws that melt everything and turn the slopes in to luge tracks.
For the midwest, the Farmer’s Almanac are fairly consistent the science geeks at the NOAA:
Residents of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes are expected to get the piles of snow that’ll be lacking elsewhere.
The NOAA tells us to expect bouts of extreme cold, but looks like only about a 50% chance of greater-than-average snow fall. However, the study does note that the winter following a La Niña event tends to be snowier in Michigan, so we may also get to look forward to 2012.
May be good for the Cascades & Northern Rockies
From Accuweather, Kirstie Hettinga writes that a senior meteorologist predicts normal to above-normal (20% delta) precipitation for the region:
Certainly for the Cascades in Washington and Oregon and the mountains in Northern California, the Shasta Range and such, this could be a boon for the ski industry
But then again, maybe not. The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting milder temps in the NW.
From On the Snow:
La Nina brought wetter conditions to the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains, and drier conditions across the southern tier of the United States those same years.
Perhaps not so good for the Sierras or the Northeast
Mike Pechner reports for KCBS that the most recent La Niña event brought considerably less snowfall to the region, and the Maine Farmer’s Almanac forecasts less snow but wicked colder temperatures for New England.
