AccuWeather reports it will feel like an extended winter for those living from the northern Plains to the eastern U.S., as cold and snowy conditions stretch into spring 2017.

Meanwhile, drier and milder weather will focus on the majority of the southern half of the nation. The Southeast may mark the exception as a chilly January threatens to damage the region's citrus crop.

Frequent storms to bring above-normal snowfall to northeastern US

Frequent storms across the northeastern U.S. this winter may lead to an above-normal season for snowfall.

“I think the Northeast is going to see more than just a few, maybe several, systems in the course of the season,” AccuWeather Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.

Unlike last season, in which most of winter's snowfall came from a few heavy-hitting storms, this winter will last into the early or middle part of spring and will feature frequent snow events.

According to Pastelok, accumulation may be limited in areas south of New York City, such as Philadelphia, D.C. and Baltimore. These areas will see a handful of changeover systems, where falling snow transitions to rain and sleet.

“But still, Boston, Hartford, along the coastal areas up into Connecticut and southern New England, they can still have a fair amount of snow,” he said.

Overall, it's predicted that the region will total a below-normal number of subzero days, though the temperature will average 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit lower than last year.

Damaging freeze may threaten citrus crop in southeastern US

Winter will slowly creep into the Southeast this season, as very mild air hangs on throughout the month of December.

However, the new year will usher in a pattern change as a sudden burst of cold air penetrates the region.

“I am afraid that we have a shot at seeing a damaging freeze in central Florida in mid- to late January this year,” Pastelok said.

The chill could spell disaster for the area's citrus farmers.

Cold air will once again retreat following January and the threat is predicted to shift to severe weather.

“Places like Atlanta, Chattanooga, even up into Roanoke, they could have some severe weather,” Pastelok said. “But if the storm track is a little farther east, then you're looking more like Tallahassee to Savannah and, maybe, Charleston.”

Bitter cold to grip the northern Plains, Midwest

Old man winter won't hold back in the northern Plains this season with shots of brutally cold air predicted to slice through the region.

Developing snowpack in early December may contribute to even colder weather. Temperatures will plummet as the season goes on, averaging 6 to 9 degrees lower overall than last winter.

“ ... There are going to be some nights, especially if there's snowcover in the heart of winter, that could get down to 20 or 30 below, especially in parts of Minnesota like International Falls and Duluth and parts of the Dakotas,” Pastelok said.

Cold air will also remain entrenched across the Midwest after arriving in late November. Coupled with warmer waters over the Great Lakes, an early start to lake-effect season is in store.

“I do feel we're going to kick this season off pretty quick, especially the western lakes. But I think even the eastern lakes will get involved and it will extend all the way out to January,” he said.

Winter to get late start across southern Plains, Gulf Coast

Fall-like weather will linger into the winter season across the southern Plains and Gulf Coast, but a change will loom on the horizon.

“A turnaround could come into late December and January as chillier air masses work down from the north,” Pastelok said.

Though the milder weather will retreat, dryness will stick around, becoming a major theme of the season.

“The area of the country that may miss out on big [snow] storms this year may be Dallas and Little Rock,” he said. However, a few disruptive ice events are not out of the question.

Early storms to blast Northwest, Northern California

Winter will waste no time in the northwestern U.S. and Northern California, as the season kicks off with rain and winter storms.

“They're going to start out pretty wet, especially from northern California into the Northwest coast,” Pastelok said. “I think that, right off the bat in December, we start to see the snow piling up in the mountains.”

November and December will see the most action, before high pressure builds in and stormy weather eases back in late January and February.

Dry, warm season in store for Southern California, Southwest

While moisture aims for the Northwest, warm and dry conditions will span much of the season for central and Southern California and the Southwest.

“December is [looking] very warm [in the Southwest] and I think we could break some record high temperatures,” Pastelok said.

A few cold shots will hit areas like Phoenix and Flagstaff, Arizona, in January, but the warm weather will quickly rebound.

For Southern California, the pattern will exacerbate ongoing drought conditions.

“We're in a pattern that doesn't really show a lot of rain coming toward Southern California, so I don't expect too much relief,” Pastelok said.

What precipitation does fall in California will aim primarily for the north, though it will fail to have the significance of last January when the region was hammered by heavy rain and snow.

“I do think in the early part of the season we're looking good anywhere from San Francisco, Sacramento and into the mountains,” he said.

“ ... If we can get some snowpack built up in the north, we can fill up these reservoirs going into spring and summer.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Sen. Mike McGuire’s bill to renew a special state law allowing the young people of Lake County to earn valuable work experience and job training during the summer months in pear packing plants was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Wednesday.

“Given the economic importance of the famous Lake County pear crop and the longtime tradition of Lake County residents working the harvest, we have been honored to work with folks from throughout the County to advance this important legislation that provides valuable job training and we are grateful to Governor Brown for signing this bill,” Lake County’s Sen. Mike McGuire said. “The best pears in the world come from Lake and the renewal of this law is extremely important to the economic well-being of our region.”

The state law allows pear packing plants in rural Lake County to employ 16 and 17 year olds for up to 10 hours per day during the short peak harvest season – four to six weeks in the late summer months – when school is not in session.

The special exemption receives rigorous oversight from the State Labor Commissioner’s office and all work permits are overseen by the Lake County Office of Education.

SB 702, the Lake County Teen Employment and Training Act, simply extends the exemption for Lake County until January 2022 and maintains all the existing stringent requirements for employers to receive the exemption.

To ensure robust oversight, SB 702 requires an additional report from the labor commissioner to be submitted to the legislature.

All employers will still be subject to annual, robust audits to ensure compliance with state laws and to protect all Lake County workers.

SB 702 was co-authored by Lake County’s Assemblymember Bill Dodd. The bill was supported by the California Farm Bureau Federation, Lake County Farm Bureau, California Fresh Fruit Association, California Pear Growers, the Lake County Chapter of the CA Women for Agriculture, Brock Falkenberg, Lake Superintendent of Schools, the Lake County Board of Supervisors and Matt Cockerton, principal of Kelseyville High School.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Pear Festival drew people from far and wide on Saturday, filling the streets with a day of attractions and activities.

The 24th annual event started out with a pancake fundraiser followed by a parade that featured grand marshals Marilyn Holdenried and Sharon Zoller, Miss Lake County, the pear festival's prince and princess, the three prize winners for the dessert contest, tractors, community groups and dancing horses.

Kelseyville High School worked hard to present some amazing floats that took part in this year's parade.

There were many activities throughout the rest of the day.

One of the attractions was a dunk tank. Sheriff Brian Martin was a great sport, volunteering to be the first in the tank, which helped raise funds as part of the “Dunk a cop.”

There also were numerous vendors with local art, excellent food and a place for children with jumpy houses, water slides and face painting.

The Horse Faire portion of the day allowed people to get up close and personal with the horses that had been in the parade and hear presentations on a variety of subjects.