Mild winter ahead

Americans bracing for “snowmageddon” or blasts of Arctic air from the dreaded polar vortex can probably relax: Federal forecasters are predicting yet another unseasonably mild winter for most of the continental U.S. For the third time in three years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting warmer-than-normal temperatures across the Lower 48, with only parts of the Northern Plains and the Pacific Northwest expected to be colder than usual. Snowfall is predicted to be relatively low in the coastal Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, but higher than normal in the Northern Rockies. NOAA forecasters caution that this prediction could change significantly. Their outlook is largely based on the forecasted development of the weather system La Niña, which they think has a 55 to 65 percent chance of happening. The opposite of the weather system El Niño, La Niña occurs when temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean cool down, altering the storm track over North America. “If La Niña conditions develop, we predict it will be weak and potentially short-lived,” NOAA deputy director Mike Halpert tells CBSNews.com. “But it could still shape the character of the upcoming winter.”

breeds, under four different scenarios: with a person either facing them or turned away, and either holding food or emptyhanded. They found that the pets were significantly more expressive—raising their eyebrows and widening their eyes—when someone was looking at them, regardless of whether or not treats were involved, LiveScience.com reports. Lead author Juliane Kaminski, from the University of Portsmouth in England, says the findings suggest dogs’ expressions are “potentially active attempts to communicate, not simple emotional displays.” The researchers speculate that over the 30,000 years in which dogs have evolved alongside humans, they have learned that people are typically drawn to baby-like traits such as big, round eyes.