AccuWeather shared its winter forecast Monday, and y’all better get your warm clothes and survival gear ready.
It looks like we might be in for a “historically strong” winter, according to AccuWeather. Before you roll your eyes and say, “Oh, they warn us about this every year,” you could potentially die from being flippant about forecasts in an El Niño year.
“There is a greater than 55% chance of at least a ‘strong’ El Niño … persisting through January-March 2024,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote in a formal press release. “There is a 35% chance of this event becoming ‘historically strong.'” El Niño over the Pacific Ocean means we could see a wetter winter, sending moisture-rich storms into California and through the Pacific Northwest.
On the east coast, we could see significant snowfall, which may out-do the deadly storms of 2022. The Great Lakes, Midwest and northern Plains should have less precipitation, which would be nice.
Winter is fast approaching and El Niño is booming with a chance at becoming “historically strong.” Here’s what that means for the winter forecast: https://t.co/IZbFyvS0hj pic.twitter.com/bF03PjKvO2
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) November 13, 2023
For anyone who can’t remember winter 2022, literally the exact same thing happened … and it wasn’t an El Niño year.
Roughly 100 Americans lost their lives to devastating snowstorms in Buffalo, New York, and atmospheric rivers, bomb cyclones and subsequent flooding in California. All of this happened less than 12 months ago, and yet AccuWeather acts like their 2023 forecast is any different. It’s not! (RELATED: Check Out The National Weather Service’s Amazing Word Gymnastics Over California Drought Questions)
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare. No matter what, you should always have enough food and water in your home to last at least a week. You should really keep the same amount in your car, plus plentiful blankets, fire starters and other necessary survival gear.