The National Weather Service threw out the first pitch Thursday, releasing Southeast Michigan’s 2024-2025 winter outlook.

El Niño still at the plate with two outs, La Niña getting ready in the hole. Mother Nature is on the mound ready to throw curveballs at Metro Detroit Sandy Koufax style. The game is a triple header running in December, January, and February.

Now, if you’re not a baseball fan, understanding the players might help you figure out how this winter game will go.

El Niño typically hits warmer and drier in the winter. La Niña is known for some pretty cold and snowy grand slams. But this year, La Niña is late to the game and pretty weak. Think Punch and Judy hitter.

At this point, you’re either amused or confused, and I appreciate your indulging me in either case. But since I’m a better broadcaster than ballplayer, let’s get down to the business of the upcoming winter season.

The National Weather Service predicts slightly above average temperatures for the eastern part of the state and above-average precipitation for all of Michigan this winter.

La Niña was expected to arrive late last winter, but El Niño decided to stick around a little longer. The result was the warmest winter on record in the continental U.S. and worldwide.

So you would think La Niña would do the opposite and bring cold weather, right? Remember those curveballs I mentioned earlier? Here’s where it gets tricky.

Only four La Niña episodes since 1950 have formed this late in the year, and all of those were pretty weak. This La Niña is also expected to be weak, so we might not see the typical impacts.

Strong La Niñas are associated with consistent weather throughout the season but a weaker event means other climate phenomena could throw us a few benders.

That could mean cold and mild outbreaks. While the forecast is not a snowfall outlook, if above-average precipitation occurs during a mild spell, it could mean heavy rain or freezing rain.

If it happens during a cold snap, ski resorts might get the winter they have been dreaming of for years.

Grab your foam fingers, folks. This is going to be one heck of a winter season. Now, let’s play ball!