CHANHASSEN, Minn. — The National Weather Service has just released its winter outlook for December, January and February and it gives Minnesota a better chance for a colder, wetter winter.

If you're wondering what's fueling such a long range forecast, you need to look at what's happening in the Pacific Ocean.

"The big player out there is we have a La Nina in place, the cooler Pacific Ocean waters near the equator," said Mike Griesinger, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service Twin Cities. "Even though it's weak, it's still going to impart an influence on the weather patterns that we see through the winter."

Kenny Blumenfeld, Senior Climatologist at the Minnesota State Climate Office, says La Nina winters can vary quite a bit, but he says they tend to share a trend that matches

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