Weather Predictions for Winter 2008 and Beyond

I have lived in the "heart land" region now for ten years. Two winters ago we had one of the worst ice storms in our history. I had never been in natural disaster before. We were without electricity for eight days, three of the days were below zero. I was not prepared in the least for this emergency. I cannot begin to tell you how much I would have loved to have been forewarned of this terrible event.

Ever since than I always check with the Farmers Almanac in the beginning of winter. It is a great way to keep a "heads up" of weather in my area. Of course no prediction system will ever be 100% accurate. Most of the time they are correct. In fact, they did predict the terrible Ice storm I was in.

I decided this year, to document the winter weather for every region of America. I suggest checking your area, to see if there are any unpleasant surprises to be aware of. So we can all be prepared in case of a bad weather.

If you are unsure of your region check here.

Northeast region- which includes portions of the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Winter will be colder than usual. For the rest of November it will be mild and a little rainy, until the last week where it becomes cold and snowy. The first week of December will be rainy and mild, and then the snow and cold commence. Snow and cold will continue on through January and February. The biggest snowfall will occur in early March. Thankfully April and May will be slightly warmer then usual.

Atlantic Corridor region-which includes portions of Delaware, district of Columbia, Maryland, Rhode Island and Virginia. Also includes eastern New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massachusetts. November stays mild and warm until the last week when they will have showers mixed with snow and cold. December starts out mild, but quickly turns snowy and cold. The last two weeks will be mild and rainy. Snow continues on until early March. April will be cooler than usual, but it all turns around and in May it becomes very warm and dry.

Appalachians region-which includes Portions of District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, the state of new York, North Carolina, lower Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and west Virginia. November stays mild with a little rain until the latter part of the month, then cold and snow flurries become prevalent. December starts out mild but quickly becomes cold and snowy. With the last two weeks being unseasonably mild and rainy. The biggest snow storm will occur in early and late January, and snow is predicted for Thanksgiving. Will continue until mid February. April and May will be warmer and drier than usual.

Southeast region-which includes portions of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and south Carolina and Virginia. November stays mild and warm with a little rain, than the last week turns cold and sunny. December starts out rainy but turns cold with a rain and snow mix. The month closes out sunny mild and rainy. For January and February snow will be heavier then normal to the west of the region. Higher elevations will have snow for Christmas. Snow also makes an appearance in early and late February. Spring will be warmer on average, and April will be a wet one.

Lower Lakes region- which includes Portions of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Although November starts out like a lamb, a Thanksgiving snow storm ushers in a rough and cold winter. December will be snowy and cold until the last week. They will experience mild temperatures and snow showers. The coldest periods will be December through February, and snowfall is persistent with in this time frame. April and May will have above average heat, and below normal rainfall.

Ohio Valley region-which includes portions of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and west Virginia. November starts out mild, but runs the gamete by the end of the month. It goes form being mild to showers to warm, and eventually into the snow. December also starts out mild but as the month goes on it continues to be snowy and cold. Snowfall is expected for Thanksgiving and keeps on until mid February. April and may are predicated as warmer then usual, with below average rainfall.

Deep south region-which includes portions of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. November is very mild this year. With the exception of thunderstorms the average temperature will be in the upper 50's. December rushes in the cold, and continues to stay two degrees below normal. In the north precipitation stays the same, in the south above normal. The same story goes for snowfall. April and May temperatures will be above normal, as well as rain fall levels.

Florida region-which includes Florida and parts of Georgia. Winter temperatures will remain one degree below normal. November stays rainy with chilly nights. December is much the same with sunny, cool, wet weather. April and May will have above record temperatures and rainfall. * A tropical storm threatens Florida in late May, way before the official start of hurricane season.

Upper Mid West region-which includes portions of upper Michigan, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin. November starts out mild and showery, but gets colder with showers and flurries. Although December will be extremely cold, there will be less snow fall than on average. This area will have a snowy Christmas and new years. Snow is spotty but continues on until early March. April and may will be warm, with average rainfall.

Heartland region-which includes portions of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. November staying mostly mild and sunny, with a few thunder storms. December becoming increasingly cold with record cold temperatures. Snow fall levels will be less for up north but more for down south and the snow will continue on until early march. April and May will be much warmer and dryer than usual, and our first "hot spell" will begin in early May.

Texas Oklahoma region-which includes portions of Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. November stay sunny and warm with a few showers. Temperatures will be below normal and Decembers average temperature will be in the lower 40's. The northern parts of this region will get more snow, while the southern areas will receive less. April and may will be warmer and dryer than usual. With hot temperatures in the middle to the end of May.

High Plains region-which includes portions of Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. November is filled with rainy cool days. The month ends with mild sunny weather. Temperatures are below normal up north, above down south. In December, average temperature will be 24 degrees. Look for snow showers and cold. Although you will have below normal snow fall it will be consistent, and will continue through mid March. April and May will be warm, and hot weather for late May.

Intermountain region-which includes portions of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. November appears to be very wet and cold. With a mix of showers and snow. Winter will be very cold and dry.* With a snowstorm expected between December 1-4. Expect snow mid November through late December, late January and February. April and may will be cooler than normal.

Desert Southwest region-which includes portions of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. Other than the occasional thunderstorm in the middle weeks of the month, November stays sunny and warm. Cold air becomes prominent in December. Snow and rainfall will be below normal. Below normal temperatures stick around through April and may.

Pacific Northwest region-which includes portions of California, Oregon and Washington. Winter temperatures will be above normal. Rain prevails November and December. Expect snow mid November and January. April and May will be cool and dry.

Pacific Southwest region-which includes California. November remains mild with a few showers mid month. December also expected to be mild with more rain expected. Cold weather will appear late February and mid march. April and may will be cool and dry.

Alaska region- which includes Alaska. November will stay very cold. December will be mild. But January and February will vary in temperatures. Much above snow is also expected. April and may cooler than average.

Hawaii region-which includes Hawaii. November average temperature will be 78 degrees. Mild and warm with a few showers toward the end of the month. December has showers mid month and at the months end. Rain prevails early January and late February. April and may slightly cooler.