Winter forecast: warmer in many places, wetter in some

While parts of the Norwest and Northern Plains got a harsh winter preview recently, the outlook for the official season — December through February — is for warmer than normal temperatures for much of the U.S. Also predicted is a wet winter for most of the northern states.

That’s the outlook by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center. Their forecast includes:

• above-average temperatures from the West across the South and up the eastern seaboard
• below-, near- or above-average temperatures for the Northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, and the western Great Lakes
• Northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes and parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast being wetter than normal
•  Louisiana, parts of Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma as well areas of northern and central California are expected to be drier than normal this winter