The time has come for the four of us in the weather office to sit down and discuss our thoughts on the upcoming winter.  This is my third year doing this and it isn't any easier than the first time we sat down.  The first year I honestly think a little slack was thrown my way since I was the new kid in town, fresh from my lifetime stint in the southeastern part of the U.S. (aka there wasn't much I knew about winter forecasting...but hey, I was in the right place to learn!)  Last year I was going into the forecast with one real winter under my belt...and after a snowy first winter, I felt a repeat performance was in order.  Boy was I wrong, I forecasted 27" last winter and we ended up at 14.6"(wayyyy off!)  Needless to say, this year I am trying to keep me streak alive for either guessing closest to the snow total (which I did my first winter forecast) or nail the coldest low (which I did last year at -6).  Then I wonder if my beginner's luck will last into winter forecast #3...I guess we'll know by next spring!

I went back and forth on my forecast, definitely taking into consideration El Nino's presence this year.  I also took into consideration the quick 1.2" of snow we saw earlier this week (and freaked out momentarily for my below average snowfall forecast number).  I then decided to stick to my gut feeling for this winter and came up with some numbers that I feel pretty confident about.

The entire team was in pretty close agreement about certain things for this upcoming winter...and tonight you'll get to see what we all forecasted.  The winter weather forecast airs during our 9 p.m. newscast and right after it airs, we'll post not only the forecast but also a special web extra where we go into more detail about our thoughts.  You can find all of this at the following link:

WINTER WEATHER FORECAST AND WEB EXTRA CONTENT

As for the weekend forecast...I kept us in the 50s all weekend, with cloud cover increasing each day.  Saturday looks great with mid to possibly upper 50s for highs.  We'll have to keep an eye out for a few sprinkles or light showers tomorrow as well.  Sunday looks dry, but with extra clouds around which will keep us a little cooler, but still in the 50s.  Next week is when we'll see our next chance for widespread rain and cooler weather returning...so get out there and enjoy the rest of your beautiful Friday!

-Karli