NOAA Releases 3 Month Outlook For The New Year | Here Are The Winners And Losers...

*Vermont has already seen its fair share of snow this season | Photo: Whit Andrews*

This season has already seen its fair share of ups and downs. What started as a banger early season in Oregon and California has tapered off as off late while areas like Colorado and Utah hope to catch winter mid-stride.

Luckily for everyone involved, weather is constantly changing and so are climate predictions from the likes of NOAA. The newest outlook for the next three months is a mixed bag and if you’re a skier who lives in the southwest– ready the hanky because here come the tears.

Short Term Outlook [NOAA]:

Confidence is high for colder than normal temperatures in the 6-10 day outlook across much of the Central and Eastern U.S. as we close out 2017. https://t.co/dbl51w9vWs pic.twitter.com/wvvXzO2rKv

— NWS Climate Prediction Center (@NWSCPC) December 20, 2017

The outlook is typical La Niña with the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies receiving the magic combo of colder than average temps and higher than average chance of precipitation. That trend stretches from the west coast through the midwest and all the way to New England. “Get ya powdah skis kid!!!”

“Wetter than normal conditions appear likely from the Pacific Northwest through Ohio Valley and for northern and western Alaska. Drier than usual conditions are favored from California through the Central Plains” – NOAA Climate Prediction Center

Areas that are less certain are Utah and Colorado which are both positioned with equal chances of average precip and temperatures the next 3 months. Northern resorts such as Utah’s Powder Mountain and Snowbasin should fare slightly better than their southern neighbors. Steamboat in Colorado falls into this category. Other ski areas in Utah and Colorado are a complete toss-up. What’s new?