Some high elevation areas in the Mountain West have already been blanketed by snow this month. But the weather outlook for the season ahead is a bit mixed for the region.
Forecasters are predicting La Niña is likely to return this fall and early winter. The pattern generally means cool and wet weather for the Northwest and northern Rockies.
“The closer you are to the Pacific jet and the storm track, the more frequent storminess should occur – the best conditions,” said Anthony Artusa, a meteorologist with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Idaho, Montana, Wyoming – the Tetons – they’re favored to see a bit more snow than usual.”
Northwest Colorado also tends to benefit from La Niña winters. It’s the opposite story for the Southwest U.S., which is predicted to see less snowfall than usual. For states in between, such as Utah and part of Nevada, storms can be a bit more episodic.
“The storminess should become less frequent on average, but not impossible. You may get one event here, one event there,” Artusa said.
However, this La Niña event is predicted to be a weak and short-lived version. That means the anticipated outcomes are less predictable. Artusa said forecasters should have a clearer picture in October. For the rest of the fall, he said, warmer than normal temperatures are expected for most of the country, especially in the Southwest.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
