Another Long Island Winter Weather Forecast Released

Winter on Long Island is typically going to be cold, windy, and depending on the season, snowy. But the newest long-range winter forecast doesn't seem to be all too foreboding - relatively speaking, of course.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday provided the latest, and probably tamest, winter weather outlook for Long Island.

NOAA isn't calling for extreme temperatures in either direction, nor is it expecting a particularly wet or dry winter. "Average" would be the word one could use.

Now that doesn't mean the NOAA says it'll be middle of the road, but rather "there is not enough of a climate signal ... to shift the odds..."

And what about snow? NOAA actually doesn't dive into snowfall predictions, which may come as a disappointment after the Farmers' Almanac predicted an "Ice Cold & Snow Filled" winter and AccuWeather said to expect frequent storms and more snow than usual.

• See related: New Long-Range Long Island Winter Forecast Released, And It's Not Good

The NOAA doesn't believe that the weather patterns that have impacted Long Island over the past two winters - namely "La Niña" - will have less of an impact on the state this year.

La Niña, the opposite of El Niño, helped push along brutal winter weather last year, bringing wetter, cooler snowfall conditions to Long Island.

The NOAA, however, says such brutal winter conditions in the winter of 2016-17 - based on its climate projections - "should be weak and potentially short-lived" on Long Island.

La Niña winters that impact New England tend to favor above average snowfall around the Great Lakes and in the northern Rockies and below average snowfall in the mid-Atlantic.

Either way, the NOAA warned people to expect anything.

“This climate outlook provides the most likely outcome for the upcoming winter season, but it also provides the public with a good reminder that winter is just up ahead and it’s a good time to prepare for typical winter hazards, such as extreme cold and snowstorms,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Regardless of the outlook, there is always some chance for extreme winter weather, so prepare now for what might come later this winter.”

Is it actually possible to accurately predict the weather months in advance? Probably not.

>>>Click here for the whole NOAA winter forecast<<<

Image courtesy of NOAA

By Patch Staff