A slowly-developing La Nina will influence weather conditions this winter across most of the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NOAA predicts wetter-than-average conditions for the entire northern tier of the continental U.S., particularly in the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes region, along with northern and western Alaska. Meanwhile, drier-than-average conditions are expected from the Four Corners region of the Southwest to the Southeast, Gulf Coast and lower Mid-Atlantic States.

"Unfortunately, after a brief period in the spring of 2024 with minimal drought conditions across the country, more than a quarter of the land mass in the continental U.S. is currently in at least a moderate drought," said Brad Pugh, operational drought lead with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. "And the winter precipitation outlook does not bode well for widespread relief."

Temperature outlook for winter 2024-2025

• Warmer-than-average temperatures are favored from the southern tier of the U.S. to the eastern Great Lakes, eastern seaboard, New England and northern Alaska. (Probabilities are strongest along the Gulf Coast and for most of Texas)
• Below-average temperatures are most likely in southern Alaska, with below-average temperatures slightly favored from the Pacific Northwest to the northern High Plains.
• The remaining areas have equal chances of below, near, or above average seasonal mean temperatures.

Precipitation outlook for winter 2024-2025

• Wetter-than-average conditions are most likely in the Great Lakes states, and above-average precipitation is also favored in northern and western Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and across the northern tier of the U.S. (Probabilities are strongest in portions of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky)
• The greatest likelihood for drier-than-average conditions are in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, as well as in Texas and southern New Mexico.
• Much of California, the central Plains states and the I-95 corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C., have equal chances of below-average, near-average or above-average seasonal total precipitation.

The slideshow above illustrates things homeowners should do to prepare for cold weather, according to the Insurance Information Institute.  See also:

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