NOAA will release its 2026-27 U.S. winter outlook Oct. 15, with forecasts for temperature and precipitation during December through February and an update on drought conditions.
The agency announced the release Oct. 8. It said forecasters will discuss how a very strong El Nino may affect winter conditions.
Until that update, the Climate Prediction Center's Sept. 17 seasonal discussion remains the relevant published outlook. It favors above-normal temperatures across much of the northern United States during winter, including the Northeast.
The discussion also favors above-normal precipitation along the Atlantic coast through several overlapping winter periods. New England is included in that broader wet pattern.
What a seasonal outlook can tell readers
The forecast describes probabilities for conditions averaged over three months. It does not determine the weather on an individual day or provide a snowfall total for a specific town.
For New England, a wetter seasonal outlook is not itself a forecast of a snowier winter. Precipitation includes both rain and snow, and the type depends on temperatures and individual weather systems.
The Oct. 15 release will provide the next winter assessment. Forecasts for specific storms will come on much shorter time scales.
Sources
NOAA winter outlook announcement, Oct. 8, 2026
Climate Prediction Center seasonal discussion, Sept. 17, 2026