NOAA map shows concerning winter weather predictions for each U.S. state
Predictions by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), a branch of the National Weather Service (NWS), have pointed to the conditions that Americans can anticipate across the United States during the emerging winter months.
Winter is coming. So amid the pumpkin spice lattes and Christmas presents, the U.S. is bracing for the chill as the days get shorter.
Predictions by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), a branch of the National Weather Service (NWS), have pointed to the conditions that Americans can anticipate across the United States during the emerging winter months.
Experts have pointed out that La Niña could emerge in the last stretch of the year, and are expected to continue from December 2025 to February 2026. La Niña is the cool phase of a recurring climate cycle called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
Its warm counterpart is called El Niño. Both La Niña and El Niño play a huge role on the weather, wildfires and ecosystems globally.
READ MORE: La Niña phenomenon to bring bitterly cold and snowy winter to New YorkREAD MORE: Lack of US hurricanes this year set to have major impact on chaotic winter weatherStates that will experience above-average temperatures
As per the CPC's outlook for the December 2025 to February 2026 period, the states that could experience above-normal temperatures include central and southern Florida, parts of central and southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and far west Texas.
States that will experience below-average temperatures
States that could experience below-average temperatures include parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota.
States with equal chances of above-or below-average temperatures
These include:
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Missouri
- Kansas
The CPC's precipitation outlook for December to February
According to the map, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are the states with areas most likely to see above-average levels of precipitation from December to February.
Areas of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and Illinois could also experience more precipitation than normal, though this was given a lower probability.
Parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina are predicted to see drier-than-normal conditions this winter.
Meanwhile, areas of the Northeast, as well as West Virginia, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and California have equal chances of either above- or below-normal precipitation.