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A bigtime winter storm barreled through the middle of the country early this week. A second one will follow a very similar path, bringing more heavy snow, potential blizzard conditions, heavy rain and severe weather. But this time it will be followed by a blast of arctic air due to the polar vortex.
2023 brought a big change to the main climate driver, as La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean abruptly changed to a very strong El Nino. 2024 will bring a similar but opposite transition as El Nino quickly fades and La Nina is expected to return this summer.
It has been a warm winter so far for so much of the U.S. and Canada as the polar vortex has been on the other side of the world. But those of us in North America will see it spend some time here for mid-January.
Extreme dryness shows little chance of significant recovery in this El Nino winter.
The setup surely favors a storm system moving through the country early next week. However, models are all over the board with how to develop a potential system.