NEW YORK - US households should brace for a frosty winter, particularly in the Northeast which is the biggest consumer of heating oil around, private forecaster EarthSat predicted on Monday.
"The current winter outlook is colder than last year and much closer to the 30-year normal for the national average expectation," EarthSat said in its revised outlook.
"The focus of the coldest anomalies should be more frequently toward the East Coast rather than the Mid-Continent," EarthSat said.
The outlook is bad news for Americans already facing record high prices for heating oil and natural gas.
The EarthSat forecast showed natural gas consumption-weighted heating degree days -- a measure of temperature below 65 degrees Fahrenheit -- averaging about 7.5 percent greater than last year for December through February.
The forecast will make this winter roughly in line with the 30-year average, but significantly colder than the five and 10-year averages, EarthSat said.
"We've had a very active hurricane season, a weak El Nino, and a hot summer. These things tend to translate into a colder winter," said EarthSat's Matt Rogers.
The US West is expected to average warmer than normal.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
