Winter '09 / '10 - AccuWeather

Joe Bastardi, Chief Hurricane and Long-range Forecaster:

*Chance of colder winter in Northeast, Europe and Far East
*Midwest outlook warmer than last year

"Not only does it have a chance to be colder in the U.S. Northeast but also in the Far East and probably Europe.

"But the EL Nino is not really 'causing' anything in my view. It's a by-product of larger scale forces going on, some of them cyclical, like very low Sun spot activity, which can cause a decrease in radiation from the Sun. This weaker El Nino could fade, as it did in '06-'07, when we went from one of the warmest winters to very cold.

"I expect New York and Washington D.C. to have more snow and to be colder. I'm expecting it to be colder than last year in southern New England more than in the northern part.

"The Midwest should be warmer, like in Ohio and the parts that got blasted with so much snow last year."

Reuters