Wetter winter expected in Great Falls

WASHINGTON — This winter will be wetter than normal in Great Falls, with uncertain temperatures, the federal government forecast Thursday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said about half of Montana — from roughly Liberty County southeast toward Big Horn County — will experience below-average temperatures this December through February. The rest of the state, including Great Falls, has an equal chance of temperatures being above, near or below normal.

All of Montana is expected to have precipitation above normal.

“This outlook supports everyone from local and state governments and their efforts to plan for public needs this winter to large and small businesses as they plan for how this winter might impact transportation, market demand for their goods and services and prices,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Other (weather) outcomes are always possible, just less likely.”

NOAA also predicted the emergence of a weak, and potentially short-lived, La Nina this winter. La Ninas, which means “little girl” in Spanish, are associated with cooler conditions in the northern U.S. The weather anomaly this year also is reducing the likelihood of the forecast occurring.

“Because there is still some uncertainly about when La Nina will develop and persist through the winter, probabilities on the maps this year are fairly conservative” compared to last year, Halpert said.

Across the rest of the country, the government predicted precipitation will be above normal in the West and stretching east through Idaho, North Dakota and the Ohio Valley.

Drier conditions are expected across much of the southern United States — from the lower part of California, east to Florida and extending north into the Mid-Atlantic. Forecasters said the weather is unlikely to help states such as California, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia already mired in a drought.

NOAA also predicted above-normal temperatures for the lower half of the United States from Oregon extending east to Oklahoma and into Virginia. Cooler temperatures are forecast from eastern Montana through South Dakota and into Wisconsin.

Contact Christopher Doering at [email protected] or reach him at Twitter: @cdoering