December temperature outlook shows North-South split

The National Weather Service on Sunday released its monthly temperature outlook for December. 

What’s happening: The agency forecasts temperatures leaning below normal across the Great Lakes and Northeast, and above normal across the Southwest and Southeast. 

Go deeper: Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, along with the region’s northernmost swaths, face a 40 to 50 percent chance of experiencing below-normal temperatures, with most of New England at 33 to 40 percent.

• Yes, but: Florida has a 50 to 60 percent chance of seeing above-normal temperatures during the month, while many southern states, from the Southwest through North Carolina, sit at 33 to 60 percent for above-normal temps. 

Of note: Most of the West Coast and a strip of states through the central U.S. face equal chances of temperatures being above or below normal.