Accuweather Forcast for the rest of Winter
The AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team still expects a stormy winter for the U.S. with the worst in terms of snow and cold targeting the Midwest and interior Northwest.
Big Midwestern cities, such as Chicago and Minneapolis, will lie in the heart of this zone.
While the worst of winter will be focused over the Midwest and Northwest, it does not mean other parts of the country are off the hook.
Above-normal snowfall is also forecast for the interior Northeast and northern New England.
A region-by-region breakdown is given after the following discussion on factors behind the forecast.
Factors Behind the Forecast
A weak to moderate La Niña is a key factor in the 2011-2012 Winter Forecast.
"La Niña, a phenomenon that occurs when sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific are below normal, is what made last year's winter so awful for the Midwest and Northeast," AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Heather Buchman stated in the initial release of the 2011-2012 Winter Forecast.
La Niña winters feature a stronger northern jet stream, an area of strong winds high above the Earth's surface. This positioning and strength of the jet stream over the northern portion of North America tends to cause storms to track across the northern tier of the U.S., spelling harsh winters from the northern Plains to the Ohio Valley.
www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/accuweathercom-201120...
Accuweather Forcast for the rest of Winter
The AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team still expects a stormy winter for the U.S. with the worst in terms of snow and cold targeting the Midwest and interior Northwest.
Big Midwestern cities, such as Chicago and Minneapolis, will lie in the heart of this zone.
While the worst of winter will be focused over the Midwest and Northwest, it does not mean other parts of the country are off the hook.
Above-normal snowfall is also forecast for the interior Northeast and northern New England.
A region-by-region breakdown is given after the following discussion on factors behind the forecast.
Factors Behind the Forecast
A weak to moderate La Niña is a key factor in the 2011-2012 Winter Forecast.
"La Niña, a phenomenon that occurs when sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific are below normal, is what made last year's winter so awful for the Midwest and Northeast," AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Heather Buchman stated in the initial release of the 2011-2012 Winter Forecast.
La Niña winters feature a stronger northern jet stream, an area of strong winds high above the Earth's surface. This positioning and strength of the jet stream over the northern portion of North America tends to cause storms to track across the northern tier of the U.S., spelling harsh winters from the northern Plains to the Ohio Valley.
www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/accuweathercom-201120...