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.

Large swaths of the South and the East Coast are favored to see warmer-than-average temperatures, while the Pacific Northwest has greater odds of cooler-than-normal conditions this winter.