The continental United States will most likely experience a drier than normal winter in the coming months. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s forecast issued on Oct. 15, Washington, Idaho and Western Montana should experience weather that is between one-third and 40 percent drier than normal.

El Niño in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean is expected to be a dominant climate factor that will influence the December through February winter weather in the United States, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

“We expect El Niño to strengthen and persist through the winter months, providing clues as to what the weather will be like during the period,” says Mike Halpert, deputy director of the Climate Prediction Center — a division of the National Weather Service. “Warmer ocean water in the equatorial Pacific shifts the patterns of tropical rainfall that in turn changes the strength and position of the jet stream and storms over the Pacific Ocean and the United States.”

The seasonal outlook does not predict where and when snowstorms may hit or total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent upon winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than several days in advance. For more information, go to www.noaa.gov.