It was a day before Christmas, and instead of going skiing or snow-shoeing, I took a ride on the motorcycle. With temperatures in the mid 60s on Christmas Eve, there were quite a few other bikes on the road that day. A few kayaks and canoes were on nearby lakes as well; the watercraft shared the lakes with mergansers, buffleheads and other waterfowl, as no lakes are frozen yet in the region.

According to meteorologists, our warm start to winter is due to El Niño, an unusually warm patch of water in the eastern Pacific near the equator. Not all the country was enjoying mild weather, though. The western part of the country was experiencing snowstorms, and some places in the South experienced severe weather that included flooding and a tornado outbreak just around the holidays.

Forecasts through the winter with El Niño in mind indicate warmer-than-normal temperatures for the northern U.S. and cooler than normal temperatures for the South. One possible benefactor from El Niño is California, which has been suffering under drought conditions for the past several years; the winter forecast shows much more than normal precipitation for the West Coast and western mountain regions.

There are several areas over the oceans that meteorologists are watching closely that could be game changers for any upcoming winter weather. A bend in the jet stream could make the difference between balmy and blizzard at this time of year. The long-range forecast for the local region shows a cooling trend, with temperatures returning to just above normal by mid-January. Perhaps ice fishing will be possible later in January; but for now, check out any unusual waterfowl that may be swimming on the lakes.