The Five Biggest Questions About Winter 2024-25 Weather

Winter is already moving in and you're probably wondering how cold it will be and how much snow could fall.

S​o let's tackle some of these burning questions about December through February ahead.

How will this winter's temperatures be different? If you remember anything about last winter, it's probably that it wasn't cold that often.

I​n fact, it was America's record warmest winter in 129 years, kicked off by a record warm December, the least "White Christmas" in 20 years and capped off by a record February warm spell.

A​s the map below shows, a strip of the northern U.S. from eastern Montana to northern New England was warmest, relative to average.

As of the time this article was published, meteorologists at Atmospheric G2 and The Weather Company were forecasting a warmer than average winter over much of the country, but with some differences from last winter.

F​irst, we expect a chillier than usual winter in the Northwest and and parts of the Northern Plains. The Southeast is expected to be warmer this winter than last winter, as you can see in the map below.

T​his is a look fairly consistent with a weak La Niña that is expected to develop.

(Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)

T​here will still be cold snaps, right? These long-range outlooks are meant to be a snapshot of the overall nature of, in this case, the three months from December through February.

There will certainly be some cold outbreaks in the South and East, as well as some warmer spells in the Northwest, at times, this winter.

December is starting out quite cold, particularly in the eastern half of the country.

W​hat's still uncertain, though, is whether and how often blocking patterns in the atmosphere may set up this winter to deliver more persistent cold air.

O​ne driver of these patterns is the polar vortex, the whirling cone high up in the winter atmosphere in the polar regions.

A​ccording to the latest winter outlook from Atmospheric G2 and The Weather Company, this winter may have a stronger polar vortex overall. That means blocking patterns that pull colder air deeper into the U.S. like the Greenland block may be fewer and less persistent.

(​MORE: 5 Of Winter's Extreme Weather Patterns Meteorologists Look For)

H​ow much snow? In a previous piece, we took a deep dive into the statistics of weak La Niña winter snowfall across the nation. In general, NOAA found weak La Niña winters tend to be snowier than usual across much of the northern tier, from the Northwest, to upper Midwest to New England, as the map below shows.

T​he Midwest and Northeast part of this picture is tricky, given the warmer than average overall forecast. We could see more rain and less snow events given that mixed picture.

N​OAA also found the Desert Southwest and southern Rockies tend to have less snow than average in a weak La Niña winter.

A​ny drought relief? La Niña winters tend to be drier than average across much of the South, from the Southwest to the Southern Plains and Southeast.

Given that, NOAA is forecasting existing drought to stay in place across much of the South, with areas of drought development possible, including much of the Florida Peninsula.

T​hey are also expecting droughts in the Northeast and Northern Plains to hang in through the end of February, but droughts in the Midwest and Northwest could be quenched this winter.

W​ill it be less gloomy in Florida? This question sounds absurd if you're not a resident or one of the legions of "s​nowbirds" who flock to Florida each winter for weeks or months to escape northern cold.

O​ne of the strangest things we saw last winter was a much cloudier than usual Sunshine State.

T​his is more typical of an El Niño winter, when a juiced-up subtropical jet stream pumps more clouds and occasional rain over Florida.

This winter, however, might be better than even its usual warm, sunny self.

T​hat's because not only is it expected to be warmer than average in Florida, but it's also expected to be drier than usual, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

W​inter already lands in the state's dry season,​ when only brief cold fronts with thin bands of rain interrupt the warm sunshine that leaves the state an envy of much of the nation.

S​o this may be a very positive aspect to the winter ahead compared to one year ago.

M​ORE ON WEATHER.COM

-​ Winter Storms 101: How To Prepare

-​ What To Know About Snow Maps On Social Media

-​ Winter Outlook Travel Tips From A Meteorologist's Perspective

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter), Threads and Facebook.​