Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
With No El Nino, How Does California's Winter Shape Up?
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
October 11, 2019

Share

Back in August, blogger Nat Johnson declared the El Niño of 2019 “officially done.”
Johnson isn’t just any blogger, either. His day job is with the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.


Listen to this article:
 


“Winter will be cooler than normal. Rainfall will be below normal in the north and above normal in the south, with below-normal mountain snows. The coolest temperatures will occur in mid- and late December, mid- to late January, early to mid-February, and early and late March.” — The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s prediction for California
The question is, what will winter 2019-2020 look like in California?
Will we have a second straight year of big snows and periodically heavy rains? Or is California headed for the start of another drought?

AccuWeather’s Prediction

AccuWeather’s long-range forecast expert, Paul Pastelok, says that “the winter will yield enough precipitation to stave off drought conditions into the spring.”
Pastelok adds that the Southwest and California “could also have back-and-forth conditions, between some periods of dry weather and some active weather in the early winter, which is not really typical.”
The AccuWeather map below forecasts mild weather for northern California and the northern Central Valley, with ample rain in the remainder of the state.
Forecast map for winter weather in the United States 2019-20

What Do the Almanacs Say?

Two old standbys — the Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmer’s Almanac — mostly agree on their Golden State winter predictions.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which was founded in 1792, provides this very specific forecast:
“Winter will be cooler than normal. Rainfall will be below normal in the north and above normal in the south, with below-normal mountain snows. The coolest temperatures will occur in mid- and late December, mid- to late January, early to mid-February, and early and late March.
“The stormiest periods will be in late November, mid- to late December, and early February; from late February into early March; and in mid- and late March. April and May will be cooler than normal, on average, with rainfall below normal in the north and above normal in the south.”
The rival Farmers’ Almanac, which was founded in 1818, calls for cool temperatures and normal precipitation for the western third of the United States.
2019-20 winter weather forecast for the U.S. from Farmer's Almanac

Watch: California’s First Snowstorm of Last Winter

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

DON'T MISS

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

DON'T MISS

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

DON'T MISS

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

DON'T MISS

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

DON'T MISS

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

DON'T MISS

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

UP NEXT

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

UP NEXT

Gov. Newsom Said No, but California Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes

UP NEXT

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

UP NEXT

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

UP NEXT

California Counts Methodically as House Control Hangs in the Balance

UP NEXT

‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,’ a Christian Comedy, Scores With Audience in Fresno Premiere

UP NEXT

Clovis Wants to Rein in Short-Term Rentals. Hearing Is Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Voters in California City Reject Measure Allowing Noncitizens to Vote in Local Races

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

6 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

6 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

6 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

6 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

7 hours ago

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

7 hours ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

7 hours ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

7 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

8 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

9 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “D...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

5 hours ago

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

6 hours ago

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

6 hours ago

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

6 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

6 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

A Fresno County man has been indicted on mail fraud charges for allegedly submitting over $300,000 in falsified disability claims using stolen identities. (GV Wire File)
6 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP File)
7 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

Search

Send this to a friend