extreme southeast expected to remain in "abnormally dry" conditions, according to the climate prediction center.

The Wasatch Front may see snow as early as Tuesday, Seaman said. Storm systems are expected to blow through the region both Tuesday and Thursday, and either may leave freezing rain in the valleys. Both are expected to dump a few inches of snow in higher elevations, Seaman said.

Temperatures through the next 10 days are expected to be warmer than usual, but not in the record-breaking range.

Last winter, normally the wettest time of year in the Southwest, was unusually dry. Los Angeles had its driest "water year" (measured from July to June) on record with 3.21 inches of rain.

"If they don't get much rain there this winter, it will start to take its toll," Halpert says.

Drought could begin to develop across the southern Plains, which until now has had a very wet year, according to the latest forecasts. Texas is experiencing its fourth-wettest year on record.

The only areas forecast to be wetter-than-average this winter are in the Pacific Northwest and the Ohio Valley.

Snow can be tricky to forecast, Halpert says. "This is just conjecture, but the area that might do the best for snow is the northern Rockies. Along the East Coast and in the southern Appalachians, it's not likely to be a snowy winter," he says.

Worldwide, this is the third-warmest year through October.

---

E-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com