Official NOAA Forecast For Rockford Could Include More Snow And Colder Temps

Over the past couple of weeks, different weather models predicted a cold and snowy winter. Now, the experts have an outlook and if you don't like winter, then I have some bad news. 

NOAA or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its winter weather outlook on October 20th. One of the main components of the forecast is the phenomenon called La Nina.

They predict that if that develops, it will be short lived. But with it comes colder temps and more precipitation for our area. It also means that the Southern United States will experience dryer and warmer conditions.

As you can see on the map, we are in an area that is more likely to see more precipitation this winter. Does it mean we are going to be buried in snow? Not at all. These forecasts are just that. If you like no snow, head south.

According to the map, we are just below the below average line for temperatures. It could be a colder winter, but as you can see, a lot of areas are going to be above average with temperatures.

The most important thing to remember is that forecasters won't know how much snow an area will receive over a long period of time. These long range forecasts, albeit scientific, may never happen. There have been other models that are forecasting the same thing, but hopefully they will be wrong as well.

So, there is no need to panic. When a winter storm develops, the best estimate of how much snow we get is usually a day before the storm. Same with temps. A lot of factors go into the development of storms.