NOAA Winter Outlook Released: What 3rd La Niña Could Mean For MN

MINNESOTA — A new winter outlook shows that Minnesota’s drought will last into the winter.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s U.S. Winter Outlook for December through February, Minnesota will have slightly below-normal temperatures and drier weather.

Nearly 80 percent of Minnesota is currently under some type of drought, according to the federal drought monitor. Much of the Twin Cities metro area is under an "extreme drought."

Those conditions are expected to continue this winter, according to NOAA.

National outlook

A La Niña climate pattern returning for the third consecutive winter is driving warmer-than-average temperatures for the Southwest and along the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard, according to the outlook.

However, below-normal temperatures are favored in the Great Plains and much of the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota.

• Related: Sharp Increases In Home Heating Costs Expected This Winter

Drought conditions are present across about 60 percent of the country, and the La Niña climate pattern may extend the drought to the Gulf Coast, Jon Gottschalck, of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said in a news release. Parts of the western U.S. and southern Great Plains will be the hardest hit by the dry weather, he said.