If it's not the canes that will get us, it will be the

[farmwx]

rain drowning us or we'll freeze to death..

Cold winter forecast for Southeast, Mid-Atlantic
Southwest, West may see more rain, snow than usual, NOAA saysThe Associated Press
Updated: 10:28 a.m. ET Oct. 6, 2004WASHINGTON - Rising heating oil and gas prices and the likelihood of colder than normal conditions spell trouble for residents in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast states this winter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says in a report being issued Wednesday. But warmer than usual conditions are likely in Alaska and the West.


For the Northeast, Midwest and parts of the Southwest the forecast is too close to call as to whether the winter will be warm, cold or near normal, the agency said in its report on the outlook for December through February.

The outlook for rain or snowfall calls for wetter than average conditions in parts of California, the extreme Southwest and across the Southern U.S. — from Texas to Florida. That could produce some improvement in drought conditions, though the ongoing dry spell is expected to continue in many areas.

Midwest expected to be drier than usual
Drier-than-average conditions are expected in the Midwest, northern Plains and Pacific Northwest.

The forecast reflects a weak-to-moderate El Nino in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean, NOAA said. El Nino is a warming of Pacific waters that can alter the flow of the jet stream winds overhead and thus affect weather in many areas including the United States. While NOAA forecasters expect the El Nino to persist, they don’t believe it will be as strong as the 1997-98 El Nino that affected the climate worldwide.

“Our winter forecast factors in the effects of a weak El Nino that may strengthen into a moderate event during the winter months,” said NOAA Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher. “But we’ll keep our eye on other climate features in the Pacific and the North Atlantic that play an important role on the week-to-week variability in our winter weather. These patterns influence the position of the jet stream and dictate where and how winter storms will move.”

Jim Laver, director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said that during a weak El Nino there is likely to be “enhanced storminess near the Aleutian Islands and in the Southeast U.S., and warmer, drier conditions over western North America.”

State-by-state breakdown
The temperature rundown:

Warmer than normal — Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, most of Idaho and Wyoming, northwest half of Iowa.

Cooler than normal — Central and east Texas, Louisiana, southern Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, eastern half of Tennessee, northern half of Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

Drier than normal — Hawaii, Washington, most of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, northern Wyoming, northern North Dakota, most of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, eastern Iowa, eastern Missouri, Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania and northern and western New York.

Wetter than normal — Southern California, southwest Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, southwest Arkansas, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, southern Georgia, south coastal South Carolina and all of Florida.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

[Garnetcat5]

Oh no...colder than normal...what 70's !!! or or maybe 80's???!!!! hehhehehe...I hate to say it ..but after the last couple of months anything below 80 gives me the chills hehehhehe

[alicia-w]

70s?!?!?! where's my winter coat!!!

[PTrackerLA]

We had colder temperatures in mid August when it got down into the upper 50's. None of that so far this fall and no cool weather in sight...just lots of rain. When you're crackin 90 in October it starts to get REALLY OLD!!

[vbhoutex]

ROFL at Garnetcat5 and Alicia-w!!! I know what you mean!!

I am hoping the colder and wetter than normal for our area verifies into more than the normal "cold rains" we so often get in the "winter" we have down here.

[wabbitoid]

Here in Minnesota, and kind of "warmer than normal" prediction is something we'll sink our teeth into.

Mmmmmm ....

[jdray]

Most parts of FLorida have enough rain for this year and half of next.

We are 20"s of rain above normal for the year, and we still have 3 months to go basically.

Normal rainfall amounts would put us 25+ inches of rain over for the year.

At least I dont have to water my yard anymore.

[CharleySurvivor]

For those living in the northern US states, you can expect lots of snow instead of very cold temparature this winter. My grand father said the bees made their nest very high in the trees this year and it means 'lots of snow'. The previous 2 years, it made its nest close to the ground and you had very cold temperature.

This is from grand-pa's mouth, not mine