The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its 2025-2026 winter forecast outlook on Thursday, which predicts seasonal changes for different parts of the United States for the months of December, January and February.

Created by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the latest outlook anticipates warmer-than-average temperatures for much of the contiguous U.S., although southern states will most likely experience a drier and warmer winter than usual. Conditions in northern states are expected to be cooler and wetter.

Nikki Nolan/CBS News

Those weather patterns are consistent with the recent transition into La Niña , the cooler phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. ENSO is an alternating system of climate patterns determined by sea surface temperatures

See Full Page