NOAA is predicting a La Niña winter for California, which typically means drier and warmer conditions. But not always.

When the effects of La Niña kick in, the prediction is that those warm temperatures will drop, particularly across the northern United States.

Nationwide, the 2025-26 Winter Weather Forecast predicts a winter that will be “mostly mild — with pockets of wild,” featuring near-normal to mild temperatures across much of the U.S. However, certain ...