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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their annual season outlook for winter 2016-17.

Meteorologist Kenny Podrazik with the National Weather Service tells KNIA/KRLS News, the predictions show an equal chance of an above or below average season for temperature and precipitation.

“There’s not really a good enough signature to tell one way or the other to go above or below normal,” he says.

One of the driving forces of winter weather patterns is El Nino or La Nina in the Pacific Ocean. After a near record breaking El Nino last year, Podrazik says the opposite effect is settling in.

“We’re starting to transition into more of a La Nina, which means cooler than normal sea surface temperatures,” he says. “That can definitely affect the weather patterns that come off the western coast.”

Stay tuned to KNIA/KRLS for the latest weather information.