Winter projection: warm, wet in Ohio and Great Lakes region

By David Jacobs

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has issued its U.S. Winter Outlook for December 2024 through February 2025, predicting a wetter-than-average winter for the Great Lakes region, including Ohio.

The forecast, issued Thursday and influenced by the likely development of La Nina later this fall, also anticipates warmer-than-average temperatures extending from the southern U.S. to the eastern Great Lakes.

The 2024-2025 U.S. Winter Outlook map for temperature shows the greatest chances for cooler-than-average conditions in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. (Image credit: NOAA)

Specifically, the Great Lakes states, along with northern and western Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, are expected to receive above-average precipitation.

The winter temperature outlook suggests warmer conditions are favored across the eastern Great Lakes, the eastern seaboard, New England, and northern Alaska. These warmer temperatures are most strongly predicted along the Gulf Coast and throughout most of Texas.

As NOAA continues to update its seasonal forecasts, these insights are intended to assist communities, particularly in Ohio and the Great Lakes region, in preparing for the expected conditions.

The next update from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center will be available on Nov. 21.