DETROIT – The Climate Prediction Center has released its three-month weather outlook for December 2021 through February 2022, which is also “Meteorological Winter.”
It indicates Michigan will see slightly above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation.
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Precipitation includes all kinds -- rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain.
How do they make this prediction?
There are a number of factors taken into consideration here, and it’s a fluid forecast, of course.
The Oceanic Niño Index is a big factor in this. It’s essentially a numeric value that indicates whether we’re leaning towards an El Niño or La Niña. The latest indicates a strong chance for a La Niña.
Under La Niña winters, we typically see warmer and wetter winter months.
Keep in mind: We here in Michigan are in a unique setup with large lakes that surround us. This, as we all know, provides us with our lovely “lake effect snow setups.” This is absolutely a huge factor in what we see fall in the winter months. So it’s very possible that lake effect-prone areas of the state could see even more precipitation overall.
More: Weather news, forecasts