The latest winter forecast is out for Minnesota, and unlike last year, it's good news if you like the cold and snow!

There are a lot of different forecasts around these days that like to try to predict not just what our weather will be in the next few days in Minnesota, but what our entire winter season will be like.

You've likely seen some of these less-than-scientific forecasts of our upcoming winter weather. No disrespect intended, but the annual winter outlook from the Farmers Almanac and the Old Farmers Almanac both come to mind as forecasts that aren't necessarily based on cold, hard, scientific facts.

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However, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) releases its annual outlook for winter here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I tend to take notice. And, sure enough, NOAA just released the 2025 U.S. Winter Outlook.

According to NOAA, their seasonal outlook contains the likelihood that temperatures and total precipitation amounts will be above-, near- or below-average throughout the coming winter season. They note that their outlook does *not* project total snowfall accumulations, as snow forecasts are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.

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So what will this winter look like in the North Star State? According to NOAA, when it comes to temperatures this winter, the eastern half of Minnesota has an equal chance of average temperatures, while western Minnesota has a better chance of seeing colder-than-average temperatures.

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Meanwhile, when it comes to precipitation-- snowfall mainly, though we have been known to get all kinds of precipitation during the winter in the Bold North, the NOAA 2025 Winter Outlook says you might want to dust off those snow shovels.

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Because while we didn't use them much last winter, NOAA says this winter, much of Minnesota has a good chance (between 30 to 40 percent) of seeing above-average precipitation this year:

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When it comes to forecasting what our winter season will be like, I'm reminded of what my friend, a TV meteorologist over in Wisconsin, always says: "It'll likely be colder, with some snow." Now THAT is a forecast that's pretty much always accurate!

And when it comes to predicting the weather, nobody is ever 100 percent certain what will happen. But there are often some signs of what Mother Nature has in store for us. Keep scrolling to check some more unusual things that point to a colder, snowier winter for Minnesota.

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13 Ways Nature Predicts a Harsh Winter in Minnesota

Nature is pretty amazing and can do some strange stuff that sometimes we don't totally understand. Some of those crazy things are ways that nature can predict there will be a harsh winter for us in Minnesota. These are according to the Farmer's Alamanac.

Gallery Credit: Carly Ross

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