Winter is knocking on the doorstep with meteorological fall already halfway over.

On Thursday, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center released its 2024 Winter Outlook, which provides general forecast guidance about what to expect during 'meteorological winter,' which stretches across December, January and February.

For the first time in four years, an El Niño is in place ahead of the winter months in the United States. El Niño pushes the Pacific jet stream south. This change introduces wetter and warmer conditions across the Southeast.

Although the northern half of the country is the most likely to experience warmer-than-normal temperatures during this climate cycle, the Carolinas are also leaning slightly warmer too.

An enhanced polar jet stream, which drives storm tracks, is also expected to drive further south. This points to wetter-than-average conditions for much of the South, including the Carolinas.

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