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

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.

If you’re not a baseball fan, maybe understanding the players can help you figure out how this winter game will go.

El Niño tends to become warmer and drier in winter. La Niña is known for some pretty cold and snowy grand slams. But this year La Niña arrives late and quite weak. Think Punch and Judy hitter.

At this point you’re either amused or confused, and I appreciate you spoiling me either way. But since I’m a better broadcaster than a baseball player, let’s move on to the business of the coming winter season.

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

La Niña was supposed to arrive late last winter, but El Niño decided to stay a little longer. The result was the warmest winter on record in the continental US and worldwide.

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

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

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

That can mean cold and mild outbreaks. Although the forecast is not a snowfall forecast, heavy rain or sleet may occur if precipitation is above average during a mild period.

If it happens during a cold snap, ski areas could get the winter they’ve been dreaming about for years.

Grab your foam fingers, people. This is going to be a great winter season. Now let’s play ball!