It looks like this winter could be a bit milder than usual, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Winter Outlook unveiled Thursday.
Warmer-than-average temperatures are likely across much of the U.S. this winter, according to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center's Winter Outlook for December through February.
The Climate Prediction Center notes that even during a warmer-than-average winter, cold weather is expected and some areas could still see a colder than average winter.
"Without either El Nino or La Nina conditions, short-term climate patterns like the Arctic Oscillation will drive winter weather and could result in large swings in temperature and precipitation," said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
The greatest likelihood for warmer-than-normal conditions are in Alaska and Hawaii, with more modest probabilities for above-average temperatures spanning large parts of the remaining 48 states, from the west, to the south and all the way up the eatern seaboard.
But what about snow?
Higher-than-average precipitation is most likely in Alaska and Hawaii as well, along with portions of the Northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes and parts of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.
NOAA's Winter Outlook does not include New England in the wetter-than-normal category.
The Climate Prediction Center updates its three-month outlook each month, with the next expected update scheduled for Nov. 21.