AccuWeather Releases Winter Weather Outlook For New York State

While the first official say of winter is not until December 21, December 1 marks the first day of what is considered meteorological winter. AccuWeather has released their winter weather outlook for the upcoming 2025-26 season, and their experts are predicting it could be an "intense stormy winter" for areas across New York and the Northeast.

This is not to be confused with The Old Farmer's Almanac, NOAA, or the National Weather Service's annual forecasts, which can vary by a fairly wide margin.

AccuWeather Releases Winter Weather Outlook For New York State

AccuWeather meteorologists says that the upcoming winter could bring early season winter storms, that could push "toward the mid-Atlantic and New England, where some could strengthen into nor’easters".

But while experts say that "snowfall is projected to be higher than last winter in parts of the Northeast", overall season totals may still finish below the historical average.

What is La Niña?

A La Niña is a phenomenon that produces cooler than average water temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean. It is not to be confused with El Niño, which is where warmer water temperatures occur in that part of the world. Both can greatly affect weather around the world.

AccuWeather forecasters use weather phenomena like La Niña or El Niño to make their long-range predictions, which influence weather patterns for months to come.

However, meteorologists say that a La Niña "may not officially develop this winter, but there could be times during the season when the weather patterns act the way they do when La Niña is occurring".

The Climate Prediction Center says that a La Niña usually pushes the jet stream further south during the winter months. As for the Northeast, experts say that precipitation could be more in the form of rain, if it stays warm enough this winter.