Warmer-than-average temperatures are forecast for the northern and western United States this December, the U.S. National Weather Service said Thursday, with the government unable to offer a projection for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.
It predicted temperatures to be above average in a region extending from Michigan southwest to Kansas and west to Oregon.
The same region will get similar weather during the December through February period except warmer conditions will drift south into Arizona and New Mexico, according to the NWS.
In the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and much of the Southeast, there were equal chances of above, below or average temperatures. Overall, the weather should cool during the three months, with below-normal temperatures forecast from Maryland south to Florida and west to Texas.
The Northeast and the Midwest are the largest users of heating oil and natural gas, respectively, in the United States.
Forecasters also predicted El Nino, now at maximum strength, would persist into the 2009/10 winter.
"A strong event is less likely, but still possible. Uncertainty in the future strength and duration of this event is considered in the seasonal forecasts," the government said.
El Nino, which is "little boy" in Spanish, is an anomaly with warmer-than-normal sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can lead to mild winters in the United States, as well as other global phenomena.
In December, above-average precipitation is forecast in California, Texas and Florida. Most of the rest of the country has an equal chance of above, below or average precipitation.
Similar weather is expected during the December through February range with the exception of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys where precipitation could be below normal.