NOAA meteorologist Tom Di Liberto recently reexamined snowfall trends during La Niña winters and found they tend to be “banner years” for snow in the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rocky Mountains. The Great Lakes region and parts of New England also tend to see above-average snow when a La Niña pattern is in place, Di Liberto said.

La Niña is a recurring climate pattern that occurs when trade winds that push warm water west from South America toward Asia are stronger than usual. Colder water rises to the surface to replenish the warm water pushed off to Asia, which in turn affects weather patterns in the U.S.

Curious what national weather forecasts predict for snowfall across the U.S. in the next few months? Snow bunnies who live in the Pacific Northwest are predicted to see extra precipitation through February,

A La Niña winter is still in the cards for the U.S., the Climate Prediction Center said in an updated forecast Thursday. The Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),