Another great snow year in store, according to Dr. Jeff Masters

My good friend Matt Gregory works for WeatherUnderground, and he's an awesome source for weather news. He just passed along this link to a great winter forecast. Skiers and riders, get psyched.

Here's an excerpt, but I highly recommend visiting the full article to see a great graphic and read more.
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NOAA winter forecast: drought in Texas, wet in the Northwest and Ohio Valley
By Dr. Jeff Masters

The Southern Plains should prepare for continued drier and warmer than average weather, while the Pacific Northwest is likely to be colder and wetter than average from December through February, according to the annual Winter Outlook released October 20 by NOAA. We currently have weak La Niña conditions over the tropical Pacific ocean, which means that a large region of cooler than average waters exists along the Equator from the coast of South America to the Date Line. Cooler than average waters in this location tend to deflect the jet stream such that the Pacific Northwest experiences cooler and wetter winters than average, while the southern U.S. sees warmer and drier winter weather. NOAA's forecast calls for a typical La Niña winter over the U.S.--warm and dry over the Southern Plains, cool and wet over the Pacific Northwest, and wetter than average over the Ohio Valley. According to NOAA's latest La Niña discussion, La Niña is expected to remain solidly entrenched throughout the coming winter and into spring.