La Nina could arrive soon, NOAA says. Here's what that means for winter in New England

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its 2024-2025 winter outlook on Thursday.

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said there is a 60 percent chance of a weak La Nina developing this fall and it could last through March.

La Nina is part of a natural climate cycle that can cause extreme weather events around the world, and their impact on the weather varies depending on location and time of year.

What does La Nina mean for New England?

According to NOAA, temperatures are warmer than average from the southern United States to the eastern Great Lakes, the East Coast, New England and northern Alaska.

The forecast also predicted drought conditions would improve or end in the Mid-Atlantic, New England, Central Appalachia, the Ohio Valley, the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.

How much snow will there be in New England?

In parts of New England where it is usually cold until it snows, there is an “above average snowfall signal in northern New England and inland New England,” NOAA scientist Michael C. Morgan said.

Major cities along the coast will likely see more rain and ice events mixed with snow due to La Nina, Morgan said.

NOAA noted that the forecast does not predict seasonal snowfall accumulations because snow forecasts generally cannot be predicted more than a week in advance.

The opinion of Boston 25 meteorologist Shiri Spear

“We don’t have a bid indicator that indicates whether we will have above or below average snowfall. Looking back over the last 10 La Nina winters, the average snowfall is normal. But we’ve definitely had some snowier and less snowy winters,” Spear explained. “We have to take it storm by storm.

Click here to view NOAA's full winter outlook.

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'Wet and white': Farmers' Almanac releases 2024-2025 winter forecast for the Northeast

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