Warmer, drier winter expected for much of US, says NOAA

Meteorologists are expecting warmer and drier weather this winter for much of the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday in its 2020 winter outlook.

The La Niña ocean-atmosphere phenomenon is forecast to continue, which forecasters say will bring a drier and warmer-than-normal winter from California to the Carolinas.

However, this also means the drought will continue to worsen from California to the Great Plains.

On the East Coast, most of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic will see a milder-than-normal winter. But rain and snow amounts are expected to be near normal.

Florida's winter is also expected to be drier and warmer.

Toward the West, colder-than-normal weather is expected from Minnesota to Washington state. The Northern Rocky Mountains will see more snow than usual, and the Great Lakes will see more lake-effect snow.