October was unusually warm across the upper Midwest but temps will be much cooler to start off November. High temps in southeast Minnesota are expected to be in the low 40s this week which is actually normal for this time of year and a good reminder that winter is right around the corner.

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La Nina is back this year and will impact the weather over the next few months. Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said La Nina influences temperature and precipitation. Find out what that means for the winter of 2021/2022 in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa below.

 How will La Nina impact Winter?

CSJ-TSM/Rochester
CSJ-TSM/Rochester
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The National Weather Service and NOAA's long-term forecast calls for above-average temps for half of Iowa and most of Wisconsin. Most of Minnesota, the rest of Iowa, and the northwest corner of Wisconsin are in the white, "equal chances", area. That doesn't mean an average winter.

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NOAA
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"Equal chances" doesn't mean temps will be average. WCCO director of meteorology Mike Augustyniak says, "NOAA’s outlook for “equal chances” of above-, near-, and below-normal temperatures and precipitation is not a forecast for average weather. In fact, the odds of a more extreme winter — one way or another — are slightly higher. We just don’t know which extreme will prevail."

How Much Snow Are We Going to Get?

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NOAA
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As you can see on the map above, nearly all of Wisconsin and the eastern side of Iowa are in for above-average precipitation. However, most of Minnesota, 2/3 of Iowa, and a sliver of Wisconsin are in the white zone which means "equal chances" of extreme precip.

Rochester police crack down ion snowbirds
Kim David/Townsquare Media
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Again, extreme could mean a ton of snow or no snow. The NOAA and National Weather Service aren't sure yet. Historically, La Nina winters are colder and snowier for the northern half of the country.

The Accuweather team has a detailed winter outlook and says it's going to be a "busy winter" with lots of snow and colder than average temps, especially in January and February. Read how cold and how much snow they are predicting here and keep scrolling to see if you live in one of the coldest cities in America.

BRRRR: The 15 Coldest Cities in America

 

 

 

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