Latest GA Winter Forecast Released: See What Is In Store

GEORGIA — Weather forecasters have bad news if you're hoping for a dusting of snow this winter. Above-average temperatures are expected in Georgia as La Nina climate conditions emerge for the second winter in a row, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2021 Winter Outlook.

The NOAA forecast sees enhanced probabilities for above-normal temperatures for Georgia and the rest of the Southeast region.

"Consistent with typical La Nina conditions during winter months, we anticipate below-normal temperatures along portions of the northern tier of the U.S., while much of the South experiences above-normal temperatures," Jon Gottschalck, chief of the operational prediction branch of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, said in a statement.

The latest winter forecast comes from NOAA says La Nina climate conditions, which warm or cool seas and affect the weather around the world, mean the Southeast has a roughly 60 percent likelhood of above-average temperatures this year.

The NOAA forecast covers three months, December through February.

NOAA's seasonal outlooks provide a look at the likelihood temperatures and total precipitation amounts will be above, near or below average, as well as how drought conditions are anticipated to change in the months ahead. The outlook does not project seasonal snowfall accumulations, as snow forecasts are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.

The NOAA forecast meshes with the AccuWeather forecast, released in early October, for the upcoming winter.

December could be mild from Texas through Florida with the first frost of the season occurring later than normal, according to Accuweather's winter outlook for Georgia.

However, a big flip in the weather pattern is expected shortly after the start of 2022, with extreme cold forecast for eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Meanwhile, in the Southeast, the Atlantic coast is predicted to enjoy mild weather with drier-than-normal conditions. Places in Florida, like Miami and Jacksonville, north through Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, could all receive below-average precipitation this winter, Accuweather said.

NOAA's seasonal outlooks provide a look at the likelihood temperatures and total precipitation amounts will be above, near or below average, as well as how drought conditions are anticipated to change in the months ahead. The outlook does not project seasonal snowfall accumulations, as snow forecasts are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.