Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (or NOAA) Climate Prediction Center released the U.S. Winter Outlook Thursday, with La Nina potentially emerging for the second year in a row as the biggest wildcard in how this year’s winter will shape up. La Nina has a 55- to 65-percent chance of developing before winter sets in. Unlike last year’s wet winter, NOAA forecasts a drier and warmer winter than normal. For Southern California, the forecast is for a 40 percent chance of warmer-than-normal conditions this winter, and a 33 percent chance of drier-than-normal conditions most likely across the entire southern U.S.
