(Des Moines, IA) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a warm winter in Iowa. The warmer conditions result from the El Nino pattern, which makes the Pacific jet stream move south, causing hotter and drier conditions in the Midwest.
As far as temperatures, there is an above-average chance for unusually mild conditions across much of the lower 48 states, mainly along the northern tier and into the northeast and in northern Alaska. However, this will not necessarily mean a lack of snowfall in these areas. El Nino winters tend to be wetter in Iowa.
