NOAA has released its winter outlook for the 2024-25 season; Here's what they predicted

ROANOKE, Va. – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its U.S. winter outlook for the 2024-2025 season on Thursday. We explain what it means for Southwest and Central Virginia.

A weak La Nina signal is expected next winter. What does that mean?

Well, a strong signal would increase confidence in the forecast for the coming season, but a weak signal would mean more variability is possible.

NOAA's seasonal temperature outlook is that of a typical La Nina year. However, there is some wiggle room in this forecast given the weak La Nina that will occur later in the season.

This does not mean that every day of the coming winter will have above-average temperatures, but rather the average temperature for the entire season is expected to be above normal.

When it comes to precipitation, NOAA does not provide direct forecasts for seasonal snowfall. Instead, they create a probabilistic forecast about the likelihood of seeing above- or below-average precipitation for the season.

For Southwest and Central Virginia, we are somewhere between the chances of seeing below and above average precipitation. This does not mean that the winter will have a “normal” or average amount of snow 24/7.

Given the likelihood of above-average temperatures, it's safe to assume there will be below-average snowfall this coming winter.

More on this topic will be discussed in the coming weeks, for now you can do so Download our weather app To Stay up to date on all weather topics