The Climate Prediction Center generally has a good track record of predicting the overall winter season — which it defines as the months of December, January and February — but this year making projections was more challenging than in 2023, said Jon Gottschalck, chief of the center’s operational prediction branch.

NOAA's winter forecast outlook predicts above average precipitation in the Northwest and Great Lakes regions. The rest of the U.S. faces an average or warm and dry winter.