The Gaithersburg, MD-based weather forecasting firm WeatherBug believes cold temperatures and heavy snow is going to affect much of the U.S. from December through February next year, with the only exception being the Northwest. That means winter driving will be difficult for truckers across most of the country.
Weatherbug’s chief meteorologist Mark Hoekzema predicts the Northeast will experience periodic cold blasts in January and February, with heavy snows in the latter half of winter. The Mid-Atlantic will be on the northern edge of an active storm track across the southern states, meaning many close calls for snow and ice and an increased possibility for above normal snow in the central Appalachians.
An active storm track across the Southeast should make clouds and rain more common and will also increase the possibility for more ice or wet snow events, Hoekzema said. The northern and central Plains will be in a relatively dry storm pattern this winter with bigger storms passing to the south. The Southern Plains are predicted to be cool and wet, with increased snow amounts possible from Arkansas to the Panhandle of Texas and possibly some icy events from north central Texas to southern Arkansas.
A strengthening El Nino pattern may lead to increased rainfall and plenty of snow in the Southwest, with heavy snow for the high ground in southern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and southern Colorado.
A generally mild flow off the Pacific for much of the winter should reduce snowfalls for much of the Northwest. But that could spell trouble next spring and summer for this drought-sensitive region.
