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(NEXSTAR) – The La Niña weather conditions are expected to bring a wetter winter to Missouri and Illinois this season.

A La Niña winter may turn into a La Niña spring, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said Thursday. This year, a moderate-strength La Niña is expected, said NOAA meteorologists.

La Niña conditions, which emerged in October, have a 90% chance of persisting through the winter months, and a 50% chance of continuing through spring.

Why does it matter if it’s a La Niña year or not? It affects the type of weather we see across the United States.

La Niña typically brings drier conditions to the southern half of the country and more rain and snow to pockets of the northern half. This year, NOAA meteorologists are forecasting a wetter winter for Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, western New York, and western Pennsylvania.

This 2021-2022 U.S. Winter Outlook map for precipitation shows wetter-than-average conditions are most likely in parts of the North, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and western Alaska. Drier-than-average conditions are favored in south-central Alaska, southern California, the Southwest, and the Southeast. (NOAA Climate.gov based on NWS CPC data)

When it comes to temperature, this winter is forecast to be warmer than average for most of the country including Missouri and the Midwest.