say it ain't so!!!

[mudman]

I know these guy can't predict a pimple on thier arrss but doesn't look good folks
Warmer, drier winter predicted

RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Minnesota will probably be warmer and drier than normal this winter while rising heating oil and gas prices and the likelihood of an unusually chilly season could spell trouble for residents in much of the rest of the United States, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The outlook for December through February was being issued Wednesday.

The outlook for rain or snowfall calls for wetter than average conditions in parts of California, the extreme Southwest and across the Southern U.S. - from Texas to Florida. That could produce some improvement in drought conditions, though the ongoing dry spell is expected to continue in many areas.

Drier-than-average conditions are expected in the Midwest, northern Plains and Pacific Northwest.

The temperature rundown:

Warmer than normal: Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, most of Idaho and Wyoming, northwest half of Iowa.

Cooler than normal: Central and east Texas, Louisiana, southern Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, eastern half of Tennessee, northern half of Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

Snowfall and rain predictions:

Drier than normal: Hawaii, Washington, most of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, northern Wyoming, northern North Dakota, most of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, eastern Iowa, eastern Missouri, Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania and northern and western New York.

Wetter than normal: Southern California, southwest Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, southwest Arkansas, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, southern Georgia, south coastal South Carolina and all of Florida.

The forecast reflects a weak-to-moderate El Nino in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean, NOAA said. El Nino is a warming of Pacific waters that can alter the flow of the jet stream winds overhead and thus affect weather in many areas including the United States. While NOAA forecasters expect the El Nino to persist, they don't believe it will be as strong as the 1997-98 El Nino that affected the climate worldwide.

"Our winter forecast factors in the effects of a weak El Nino that may strengthen into a moderate event during the winter months," said NOAA Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher. "But we'll keep our eye on other climate features in the Pacific and the North Atlantic that play an important role on the week-to-week variability in our winter weather. These patterns influence the position of the jet stream and dictate where and how winter storms will move."

Jim Laver, director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, said that during a weak El Nino there is likely to be "enhanced storminess near the Aleutian Islands and in the Southeast U.S., and warmer, drier conditions over western North America."

[GRAND DAD]

Ya but what do they consider a warmer winter this is MN are we talkeing -10 instead of -30 I think we will be ok just as long as we get a cold snap early last year is was out the week end before Thanksgiveing and I have my fingers crossed that it will be the same this year!!

[GRAND DAD]

Ya but what do they consider a warmer winter this is MN are we talkeing -10 instead of -30 I think we will be ok just as long as we get a cold snap early last year I was out the week end before Thanksgiveing and I have my fingers crossed that it will be the same this year!!

[korn_fish]

ditto grand dad.

if they hit the less precipitation prediction that just helps us even more. No snow on the ice to insulate it. Meaning deep good hard ice

[huskiesplayer15]

The only other career where you can have 30 to 40 percent efficiency is baseball, dont sweat it guys.
Best Fishes
Chris

[The Grebe]

Don't believe those bozo's! With all the sophisticated equipment they have, they can hardly tell what the weather is going to do tommarrow!

I've owned and operated my own lawn and snow service for the last twenty years and I don't believe there has been a time during that period, when they have been accurate on the long term forcast!

If you want some snow for the kids, or grandkids to slide in, just plan a fishing trip 2 weeks in advance and on the day you are supposed to go, there will be a blizzard! You can tell the kids to get their sleds ready in advance!

Plan a long trip to visit the folks, up north, two weeks in advance and dollars to donuts, there will be a sleet storm that will ice the roads and make them slipper then the best skating rink!

Plan a snowmobile trip two weeks in advance, with your long time buddy who is comming up from Georgia and it's a gimme that the wind will be howling at 70 miles an hour and temps will dip to about 35 degrees below zero, with a wind chill about 150 below! Cold enought to freeze a well diggers axe!

Keep the faith, don't let the weinies get anybody into the chicken little phase!