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Snowier second half of January expected for Upper Midwest

An abnormally dry start to winter in the Upper Midwest could soon give way to wetter conditions.

Bret Walts with BAMWX says the western half of the country has been warmer than the eastern half, which favors a southern storm track.

“But what happens as we work into I would say mid-January and beyond, the core of the colder air kind of pulls back west. So the storm track starts to become a little bit more favorable for those bigger storms to be more into Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and northern Illinois.”

He tells Brownfield the latter half of the month might not be as cold.

“Cooler than normal perhaps, but I don’t think we’re talking about crazy record-breaking cold or anything like that. But more active in terms of winter storms? I do think that’s possible.”

 Longer term, Walts says if La Nina conditions linger into spring it would signal a wetter and cooler start to the growing season.