Snow predicted for U.S. South this winter

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Snow in North Carolina and a warm Olympics in British Columbia will characterize the winter, Accu-Weather meteorologist Joe Bastardi said in State College, Pa.

Bastardi said the current El Nino will fade over the winter and not have as much impact as it generally does.

Hit hardest by the winter will be the area from southern New England through the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic into the Carolinas. Northern areas, such as Buffalo, N.Y., Boston and the state of Maine will see normal snowfall, meaning less than the past two winters. Two or three big storms will provide most of the snow in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

Farther south, from Atlanta to Charlotte, N.C., more snow than usual will fall while the South from Dallas toward Atlanta will see ice storms, Bastardi said.

The Midwest, hard hit the past few winters, is expected to get a break this year, Bastardi said. The West and Northwest are expected to be warmer and dryer than normal.