US winter outlook: Warm in West, question mark in East
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration releases its winter weather outlook. NBC's Danielle Leigh reports.
The western half of the U.S. can expect a warmer-than-average winter, but the eastern half is a big question mark, government forecasters said Thursday. They blamed the murky crystal ball on an "indecisive El Nino" -- the fact that it has not formed even though their models said it would.
"We really haven't seen that before," Mike Halpert, deputy director of the U.S. Climate Prediction Center, told reporters. "Development abruptly halted last month."
El Ninos have been tracked for 60 years, during which 20 have formed, according to the center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Experts rely on monitoring El Nino, and its counterpart La Nina, because of their influence on the jet stream and storms across the U.S. An El Nino is a periodic weather cycle that warms part of the Pacific Ocean, thus shifting rainfall and influencing the strength and course of the jet stream.
Why it did not form is a mystery, Halpert said, adding that while an El Nino "could still develop," for now the chances are slim.
If an El Nino does develop, it could mean below-average temperatures across the South, Halpert said.
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