Will SC get a cold winter this season? Here's what meteorologists are forecasting

Last winter, the U.S. experienced its warmest winter on record. Now, meteorologists are forecasting mild temperatures again across much of the country.

If you are a resident in the Upstate who woke up to frost and chills Thursday morning, you may wonder how this is possible. This is partly due to the weather phenomenon of La Niña, which will be weaker during the winter season.

"During a strong La Niña, we typically see a dominant storm track over the northwest U.S. and western Canada. We will have a weaker La Niña for most of this winter," said Paul Pastelok with AccuWeather . "There could be changes in the storm track during the course of this winter season. It could dive farther south into California, which we do expect this year. This can result in periods of mild Pacific air moving across the central and eastern U.S. at times. However, with a weak signal of La Nina, some cold can make pushes into the Midwest and Northeast."

La Niña isn't the only factor contributing to mild winter conditions. A polar vortex is another, a mass of cold air tightly bound to polar regions by strong counter-clockwise winds. If this winter matches previous seasons, the polar vortex may push frigid air across the eastern U.S. in February.

Water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are also expected to be higher than historical averages, causing mild air masses for the central and eastern U.S.

Here's what to know about this year's winter weather outlook.

What is La Niña?

During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than average in the South and cooler than average in the North. According to the NOAA, the weather phenomenon is the pushing of warm water toward Asia and an increase of upwelling off the west coast of the Americas, which brings cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface. The cold waters in the Pacific then push the jet stream forward, which may lead to droughts in the southern U.S. It also brings heavy rains and flooding to the Pacific Northwest and Canada and increases the chance for an extremely active hurricane season.

What parts of the country will be the warmest this winter?

Heating demand is expected to drop below the historical average this winter across roughly 75% of the nation. There are several areas where this will ring especially true in the South, ranging from the central southern Plains states going through the Mississippi Valley and up through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. These areas are forecast to be the warmest this season. A noticeable reduction in utility bills may be a bonus for residents living in these regions.

According to AccuWeather, "...long-range experts say temperatures throughout the season could run more than 3 degrees above the historical average in much of the Gulf Coast and south-central region, including Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Nashville."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) winter outlook also aligns with AccuWeather's, forecasting warmer-than-average temperatures across the southern tier of the U.S., including the Great Lakes, eastern seaboard, New England, and northern Alaska. Wetter-than-average conditions are also predicted for the entire northern tier of the continental U.S.

Will there be snow in SC this winter?

Residents of the South who are hoping for snowfall this season may still get their chance. Per the Old Farmer's Almanac winter forecast, the chance for precipitation and snowfall will be above average this winter for areas in Region 4 (Georgia and the Carolinas). While we may not get snow in time for unwrapping gifts on Christmas Day, there is still a chance for snow in late January and late February. The Almanac states this may even affect travel for those planning to see the Super Bowl 2025 in New Orleans in early February.

When is the first day of winter?

This year, the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is Saturday, Dec. 21, at 4:21 a.m. EST, according to the Almanac. The winter solstice, the day of the year with the fewest hours of sunlight, marks the first day of winter. Summer lovers shouldn't get themselves too bummed out by the change ― it may be the start of winter, but brighter days are ahead. After the winter solstice, the days will continue to grow longer until the summer solstice, which is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.

When does spring begin?

Meteorological winter will run from Dec. 1 through the end of February. Astronomical winter will end on Thursday, March 20, 2025 ― the day of the spring equinox.

Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Will SC get a cold winter this season? Here's what meteorologists are forecasting