Weather officials have issued their seasonal weather forecast for the Northern Rockies this winter. Montana’s weather outlook for December through February is trending colder than average. Some places could see more snow than normal.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says like last winter, another weak La Niña has emerged in the Pacific Ocean.
"We’re looking at better chances that we’re going to see above average snow, mostly in the mountains, Missoula meteorologist Joe Messina says. "On the flipside of that, we should see temperatures that are cooler than average. That’s not just in the mountains, that’s everywhere, that's mountains and valleys.”
Long range weather forecasts can be tricky and they don’t always shake out as expected. Experts predicted last summer would be very hot and dry, but the reality was more complicated. But according to Messina, the seasonal outlooks are generally more accurate than not.
The weekend weather outlook, meanwhile, is calling for widespread mountain snow showers and a chilly rain/snow mix in the valleys.
