SO, HERE’S THE SHORT OF IT: According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Niña conditions in the Pacific combined with a strong Polar Vortex mean temperatures in the northern US will be probably be colder than usual this winter while temperatures in the southern and eastern US will probably be warmer than usual.
The forecast shows that odds are leaning toward above-average temperatures being favored in an area that stretches from the Desert Southwest to Texas, the Southeast and portions of the immediate Eastern Seaboard.
Locations from the Pacific Northwest into the Northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley have odds tilted toward a colder-than-average December to February.
Keep in mind this outlook is an overall three-month trend. Therefore, we will likely see periods that are warmer or colder in each respective region.
This doesn’t mean it will be swimsuit weather all across the southern part of the country. It’ll just be a few degrees warmer with a little less precipitation. At least it probably won’t be colder than usual. I’m committed to spending the winter in southern New Mexico, so this is good news for me — and for a lot of snowbirds. For those in the North who enjoy cold weather, and to whom I can’t relate at all, you’ll have more of that stuff you love. Brrrrrrr.
Amen!
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When the cold makes me go “Brrrrrr” I feel Alive, a go-to-thought not obtained with a bead of sweat running down my face. Winter in the dry desert, the best option after the autumn colors.
The problem is when the alive feeling passes and is replaced by the cold aching feet and hands and the running nose that freezes on my lip. I spent two winters in central Canada. That’s more than enough cold to last me a lifetime.
Yay for cold weather. Unfortunately I’m not far enough north to get much of it, but I’m happy for those that do.
The Nomad population appears to live more in the south than the north. There are exceptions for example Bob Wells was introduced and lived the nomad lifestyle in Alaska for several years before he retired and moved south. The Volkswagen Minibus re-introduction into the USA in 2024 is moving closer and close as 2022 closes out. Having a high-quality vehicle that is 100% electric configured for the nomad lifestyle may shift the nomadic lifestyle into the mainstream. Or at least that what happened back in the 1960s.
I think if there are to be major changes they will come as the RV industry shifts to electric. Although VW’s EV reworking of the microbus will appeal to some, at the end of the day most car buyers will see it as a minivan, and minivan sales are declining. Even if there’s a modern equivalent of a Westfalia, I don’t think there are many people who would think, “Oh NOW I’ll switch to a nomadic lifestyle.”
Ugh! Colder than normal in Minnesota. I think I’ll hibernate.