Winter Forecast For The Hudson Valley: What To Expect In 2017-18

If you live in the Northern Plains and parts of the Midwest, you may want to dig out your wool socks and extra layers, according to a new winter forecast released Wednesday. Temperatures in the northern Plains could plummet to below 30 degrees below zero, the forecast says. And if you’re in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic states, New York City or Boston, do you know where your snow shovel is?

AccuWeather says areas that typically receive large amounts of lake-effect snow — Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo, New York — should brace for mountains of snow and frequent shoveling. Both snow and ice are predicted in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and throughout the Northeast.

It will be more chilly in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic compared to last year. For most of both regions, this will translate to an above-normal snow season. For example, early predictions call for 6 inches of snowfall or more above normal in New York City. (For more neighborhood stories like this, sign up for Patch’s daily newsletter, news alerts and updates.)

Winter will be comparatively balmy in the Southern Plains, the Southwest and southern California, where forecasters say winter will be milder and drier than last year.

Paul Pastelok, the lead long-range weather forecaster for AccuWeather, said skiers should be happy in the Northeast, the Colorado Rockies and the Northwest.

Additionally, the forecast holds happy news for those who think it isn’t Christmas without snow.

“I think this year is going to bring a good ski season in the Northeast,” Pastelok said. “And around the holidays we should have some snow for the interior Northeast.”

PHOTO/Lanning Taliaferro