Will NC get a snowy winter? Here's what one state forecast says
The question isn’t whether this year’s winter will have an El Niño pattern. It’s a matter of whether it will be the strongest on record. “The consequences for North Carolina are plentiful, with a pattern change in the cards that could ease our long-running drought, but that could also see more frequent flooding, erosion and coastal overwash ,” according to the North Carolina Climate Office’s winter outlook. A record El Niño puts North Carolina “in uncharted waters,” but it’s likely the state will see more rain and precipitation, with some of the past strongest El Niños producing some of North Carolina’s wettest winters. But that doesn’t necessarily mean snow. “For one, thanks to broader warming trends in our climate, consistently cool weather has been hard to come by in recent years,” according to the Climate Office’s outlook. “In fact, 13 of our past 15 winters have been warmer than the 20th-century average.” The State Climate Office is forecasting “overall above-normal temperatures” and “fewer wintry events and less snowfall.” Snow lovers in western North Carolina may have the best chances of “big snow events.” “From the Triad and Charlotte eastward, the chances of significant snow are lower , and wintry events
