New Weather Predications For MA As Meteorological Winter Begins

MASSACHUSETTS — Winter officially begins in less than three weeks and the National Weather Service's (NWS) updated predictions offer a glimpse of how the season will shape up.

An updated NWS forecast shows it might be a good winter in Massachusetts for those not fans of the deep freeze and a disappointment for heavy snow fans.

Massachusetts could be in store for above-normal to well-above-normal temperatures again this winter, while precipitation — which would trend toward rain over snow — is forecast to be slightly above normal, according to NWS's updated map released on Nov. 16.

A driving force behind what Massachusetts can expect this winter can be attributed to El Niño,
a climate cycle that results in the unusual warming of equatorial Pacific Ocean waters.

The United States hasn't had an El Niño winter in four years.

El Niño conditions are already inevitable, according to a consensus of scientists, with sea temperatures in the Pacific several degrees warmer than usual. This warmer water impacts what weather is carried by the winds to the United States. It's now considered very likely that this
will keep temperatures warmer across much of the eastern seaboard, and conditions will likely "squash any widespread and meaningful cold in Northern Eurasia and eastern North America for weeks and possibly even months to come," Judah Cohen, with the Atmospheric and Environmental Research, said last week.

Overall, Massachusetts residents should still keep their snow shovels handy, even if we don't get dumped on as much as a typical New England winter.