[NOVEMBER UPDATE] NOAA Winter 2025-26 Forecast: New Forecast Pinpoints Snowiest (and Driest) Regions - SnowBrains

"General Pattern: La Niña conditions are expected to persist through winter, favoring a split temperature pattern across the US. Colder Areas: Below-normal temperatures are favored from the Upper Mississippi Valley, Northern and Central Great Plains west to the Northern Rockies and parts of the Pacific Northwest. Early December is likely to be colder-than-normal in the Midwest and northern states due to atmospheric patterns including a negative Arctic Oscillation and a modulating Madden-Julian Oscillation."

"Snowiest/Wettest Areas: The Northern Rockies, Northern Great Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and parts of the Pacific Northwest and western mainland Alaska are favored to have above-normal precipitation, increasing snowfall potential in these ski regions. Driest Areas: Drier-than-normal conditions are expected across much of the southern tier of the US-especially the Southeast, Gulf Coast, Texas, Southwest, and southern California. Below-normal precipitation is also favored for southeastern Alaska, though this has trended wetter recently."

La Niña conditions are expected to persist through winter, producing a split temperature pattern across the United States. Below-normal temperatures are favored from the Upper Mississippi Valley, Northern and Central Great Plains west to the Northern Rockies and parts of the Pacific Northwest, with early December likely colder due to a negative Arctic Oscillation and a modulating Madden-Julian Oscillation. Above-normal temperatures are favored across much of the East Coast, Southeast, Gulf Coast, Texas, Southwest, and California, with the Florida Peninsula and parts of the Southwest highest confidence for warmth. Precipitation is favored above normal in the Northern Rockies, Northern Great Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, parts of the Pacific Northwest, and western mainland Alaska, increasing snowfall potential for many ski regions. Drier-than-normal conditions are expected across the southern tier of the US, including the Southeast, Gulf Coast, Texas, Southwest, and southern California, with southeastern Alaska also favored to be below normal though recent trends have been wetter.

Read at SnowBrains