La Niña is back again this year, and that means that Virginia's winter weather may have a little something for everyone, according to the latest long-term winter weather forecasts.
"The regular climate phenomenon occurs when the water near the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean is cooler than average, which in turn influences the jet stream and the overall weather patterns in North America," AccuWeather explained regarding the effects of La Niña.
AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting a mild start to winter and less snowfall than last year overall. Because of the relatively warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic, there's a chance for a big storm system in the latter half of the winter, but it's not clear if the temperatures would be low enough for it to be a snowstorm.
"This winter, AccuWeather is predicting that Washington, D.C., will experience accumulating snow on only three to five days throughout the season with total accumulations amounting to 6 to 10 inches, just below the average of 13.7 inches," the organization reported.
According to Weather.com, the D.C. metro area will be caught between colder-than-normal temperatures in the Northeast and warmer-than-normal temperatures in the Southeastern United States. December in our region may be colder than average, but January and February may be warmer than average.
Unlike AccuWeather and Weather.com, The Farmers' Almanac is predicting a cold, snowy start to the winter and another chance for wintery weather in mid-January in the Mid-Atlantic region.
"Winter 2022-2023 should be dominated by an active storm track in the eastern half of the country, running from the western Gulf of Mexico to the northeast, across the Virginias, and across interior New York State and New England. Areas south of the storm track (much of the Southeast) will see frequent storms bringing cold rains and a wintry mix of wet snow, sleet, ice, freezing rain—as well as chilly temperatures."
