After one of the snowiest winters on record last year, Minnesotans may be particularly happy about the latest forecast for this upcoming winter.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting warmer-than-average temperatures this winter in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The NOAA says El Niño is in place heading into winter for the first time in four years, leading to that warmer forecast.
Additionally, the agency says portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin may get slightly less precipitation this winter, particularly northern Minnesota, from Fargo and Duluth to the Canada border.
While that will likely be well-received by many Minnesotans after the Twin Cities got just over 90 inches of snowfall last winter — ranking third all-time — and Duluth set an all-time record with 140 inches of snow, it also comes as much of the area has dealt with drought this year.
Even slightly below-average precipitation could allow drought conditions to persist into next spring. On average, the Twin Cities gets just over 51 inches of snowfall over the course of winter.
Source : KSTP