Late Fall To Early Winter Outlook: How Will La Niña Impact Your Winter?

Here’s Your November To January Outlook

La Niña is back this winter, bringing with it an extended fall for some and a quick start to winter for others. Here is what you can expect as we transition from late fall to winter.

Warm Days Outnumber Cold Days Early

The latest November temperature outlook from The Weather Company and Atmospheric G2 is fresh off the press, and it’s signaling warmth for many, at least early.

Warmth Continues For The Upper Midwest And Plains: Similar to much of fall up to this point, warmth will continue to dominate the upper Midwest and Plains. While occasional cool shots will move through, warm, sunny days will outnumber cold, cloudy days.

Will Anybody See An Early Start To Winter? While most of the Lower 48 remains warm for November, La Niña will bring about more cool, wet days for the Pacific Northwest. The active storm track will be a result of La Niña.

Portions of Florida may also see cooler temperatures compared to average because of enhanced rainfall and cloud cover.

(MORE: Here's When To Expect The First Freeze)

Winter Comes On Strong For The Northern Tier

Fall Quickly Switches To Winter For The Northern Plains And Pacific Northwest: As the calendar turns to December, cold blasts will become long-lived, especially across the Northern Plains. These cold blasts will bring with them snow at times, especially from Alberta clippers.

Alberta clippers are weak systems that can deliver a quick burst of snow, followed by cold air. Lake-effect snow will also be prevalent and heavy at times in the Great Lakes region by December.

(MORE: Here's When The First Snow Usually Arrives For You)

Desert Southwest Holds On To Warmth: While the warmth may retreat from the Plains, it will continue for much of the Desert Southwest. This region can expect warmer, sunnier days to outnumber cool days in December.

Mid-Winter Thaw For Some In January

Milder Temperatures Return For The East: By January, a few milder days may return for parts of the East, courtesy of La Niña. The warm interludes will remain brief, as storms and snow frequently usher back in colder air. These warmer interludes may also bring opportunities for severe weather in parts of the Deep South.

Pacific Northwest Remains Chilly: While some may experience a few milder days in the dead of winter, the Pacific Northwest looks to continue the trend of wetter, cooler and snowier days than normal.

(MORE: This Is How Siberian Snow Will Affect Winter)

Drought Continues In The Southern Tier

Drought Expands, Especially In The Deep South: While the warmer, drier conditions will feel nice to most in the southern tier, the dry conditions will also extend the drought that has developed this fall. This will likely result in lower water levels in lakes and rivers. Despite this, the southern tier will still at least have a few opportunities for rain, likely in the form of atmospheric rivers to the west and storms to the east.

Drought Relief For The Great Lakes: On a positive note, drought relief seems likely for portions of the Great Lakes and Midwest. This relief will likely come in the form of rain early, followed by chances of heavier snow in December. The most drought relief will likely come between December and January.

Hayden Marshall is a meteorologist intern and First-Year Master's Student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has been following weather content over the past three years as a Storm Spotter and weather enthusiast. He can be found on Instagram and Linkedin.