Some of us are in for balmy weather this winter

If you live anywhere between Atlanta and Los Angeles, you might not need to bother getting out your winter coat. Federal weather forecasters announced Thursday that it's looking like it will be a pretty mild winter in that southwest stretch of the country, thanks to the beginning of La Niña. The La Niña weather pattern, which Time reported is "characterized by below-average temperatures cross the equatorial Pacific," means the American Southwest will largely see "warm and dry weather" this winter; unfortunately, that won't do much to assuage the region's persistent drought, which forecasters now say could spread to the southern plains.
Folks in the northern area of the Midwest and in the Northeast mid-Atlantic won't be quite so lucky with the balmy temperatures: Forecasters said Midwesterners in the northern part of the region should anticipate a "colder and wetter" winter because of La Niña. In the Northeast mid-Atlantic, winter should be business as usual.
With this year's unusually warm weather, Mike Halpert of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center said Americans should expect the unexpected. "[R]egardless of the outlook," Halpert said, "there is always some chance for extreme winter weather."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%