Ok -picture this... another winter in Green Bay with 70+ inches of snow. Nah, that can't be possible... and NOW that NOAA has issued the winter outlook, Mother Nature may spare us this time around. So what's the deal?
I'm sure most of you have heard of "El Nino" before. Currently, El Nino conditions (warmer waters across the equatorial Pacific) are expected to be a dominant force in the weather patterns this winter. An El Nino has the ability to change the patterns of tropical rainfall and the positioning of the jetstream. And after two back to back unseasonable snowy winters here in Green Bay, I welcome this winters El Nino. It could mean a milder winter in store for Northeast Wisconsin.
Here's a visual to help you understand how an El Nino impacts weather across North America.
What you'll notice is that the Polar Jet lies to the north of our area. Generally colder air sits north of the jet with milder air below. That's why you see the area shaded in red calling for milder temperatures. Meanwhile you may see increased precipitation across the southern portions of the U.S. in the vacinity of the pacific jet that brings persistant moisture over that area. The second diagram shows the opposite the La Nina set-up, but we don't need to worry about that one.
As the current El Nino conditions are expected to strengthen in the months ahead here is what NOAA is predicting for this upcoming winter season across the U.S.
And more importantly this:
Now of course this doesn't mean 60s and sunshine through January, but it does give us a good chance of less snow than the past two years and some stretches of milder weather.
For more information on this topic visit:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20091015_winteroutlook.htmlRebecca
