La Niña isn’t here yet, but the influential pattern is still favoured to form as we head into the heart of winter across the northern hemisphere. That’s the word from experts with the U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC) as they continued a La Niña watch through the remainder of November.

NOAA meteorologist Tom Di Liberto recently reexamined snowfall trends during La Niña winters and found they tend to be “banner years” for snow in the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rocky Mountains. The Great Lakes region and parts of New England also tend to see above-average snow when a La Niña pattern is in place, Di Liberto said.

BUT, a weaker La Niña, must might result in less of an amplified La Niña pattern, pushing the "garden hose of snow" or storm track a little more north, into Minnesota, at least more frequently than in a stronger La Niña season.

La Niña’s effects typically reach peak strength in winter, when it brings wet, cool weather to the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley. Meanwhile, the southern half of the U.S. tends to be warmer and drier.

A La Niña winter is still in the cards for the U.S., the Climate Prediction Center said in an updated forecast Thursday. The Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),