Sometimes I ask myself why I left the North. But then I stop and remember…I never really liked the cold anyway. (#FrozenRemix)

If you were hoping to go “walking in a winter wonderland” sometime in the next few months, it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to do that around here. According to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we could see a warmer, drier winter in North Carolina.

Why the winter buzzkill? You can blame an ongoing La Niña weather pattern for below-normal precipitation and above-average temperatures across the Southwest, Texas, Gulf states, and much of the Southeast. The La Niña system is the reason for the current drought in the western states and it’s expanding as the U.S. heads into winter.

NOAA’s temperature outlook map shows that below-normal temperatures are expected in southern Alaska and from the northern Pacific Northwest into the Northern Plains. The precipitation outlook map indicates wetter-than-average conditions extending from the Pacific Northwest, across the Northern Plains and Great Lakes, and into the Ohio Valley.

The bottom line is that if you want to see a lot of the white stuff, your best bet will be to head to Montana and the Dakotas. As for North Carolina, this will be another winter when you won’t need a snow shovel.