Forecast: Cold, wet in North, drought conditions in South

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Winter looks to be cold and wet across the northern tier of states, and the drought will worsen in the South, where conditions are expected to be warmer and drier than usual, government forecasters said Thursday.

Like last winter, the Pacific Ocean cooling known as La Ni ±a is affecting the weather, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Mike Halpert, deputy director of the agency’s Climate Prediction Center, said snowfall probably will top the usual amounts from the Northwest to the Great Lakes and the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys.

Dry conditions could extend from Southern California east across drought-stricken Texas and Oklahoma and along the Gulf Coast into Florida and possibly north to Virginia.

Winter weather in other areas and the Northeast could go either way, the researchers said.

Though the forecast is not guaranteed, it could be more bad news for drought-stricken regions.

Already, 91 percent of Texas, 87 percent of Oklahoma and 63 percent of New Mexico are in extreme or exceptional drought, said David Brown, director of Southern Regional Climate Services for NOAA. The unusually dry conditions also extend into Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Arkansas and Louisiana, he noted.

Continued dry conditions will affect farming, livestock and other pursuits.