Every year I enjoy checking out the Winter Outlook of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as they try to predict the weather patterns we will encounter over the next five or six months. Sometimes they’re reasonably accurate, but occasionally odd things happen to upset their predictions. Come April I’ll glance back in time and decide whether the weather fit their prediction, especially right here in The Villages. I really don’t care about the weather in Seattle or Las Vegas or Minneapolis or Des Moines. I don’t live in any of these places, nor do I intend to travel to one of them this winter. My only concern is for the weather where I happen to live, here in Central Florida, and any other places I might be tempted to visit between now and the arrival of Spring. I realize this might sound a bit selfish, but I’ll let the folks who live elsewhere worry about their weather while I focus on my own little slice of creation.
According to NOAA, “a developing La Niña” will cool the equatorial regions of the Pacific Ocean. That, and the ominous sounding “polar vortex” which is thought to be weak this year are apparently the key influencers of our upcoming winter weather. As for the Southeastern USA, and that includes us, we are told to expect warmer than usual temperatures and below average amounts of precipitation. To me that sounds like a hotter, drier winter in Florida.
Dear Diane, on one of her little shopping trips yesterday, found two nice warm sweaters on sale and bought them for me. Unless we decide to head up the coast to visit family and friends at some point this winter I have a feeling these sweaters will remain unworn. Of course NOAA may be wrong and we might have to shovel snow for the first time since moving here in 2004.
If you’re interested in hearing the NOAA winter outlook for yourself, here’s a link to their video:
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