Northwest could see cold weather soon

Soak in those perfectly cool fall temperatures while you can: Forecasters at AccuWeather last week said winter weather could arrive in the Pacific Northwest as early as this month.

AccuWeather’s long-term forecast predicts an early and wet start to winter weather in the Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains, driven by the weather phenomenon known as La Niña.

“Forecasters say winter could arrive early in some spots across the United States,” AccuWeather said in a video forecast Thursday. “The Northwest and Rockies could see the season arrive in October, while the Northern Plains and Northeast could see their winter arrive a few weeks later.”

La Niña occurs when Pacific Ocean water near the equator is cooler than average, which changes the way storms move across North America.

AccuWeather long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said this year’s La Niña would be weaker than last year’s, so the Northwest might not see as much stormy weather.

The polar vortex might also be weaker this year, AccuWeather predicted. That could allow colder Arctic air to move into the United States before the start of meteorological winter on Dec. 1.

Still, winter is expected to be plenty wet, with a healthy snowpack for skiers looking to hit slopes across the Pacific Northwest.