In shorts and a long-sleeved shirt, Steve Birchfield replaces the bag on his lawnmower amid the fallen leaves along Tennessee Street. Officials from the National Weather Service are predicting warmer temperatures than normal for northeast Kansas and much of the country this winter.

This winter could mean good news for your heating bill.

The National Weather Service is forecasting warmer-than-normal temperatures for northeast Kansas and much of the country, except the Pacific Northwest.

Alan Reppert, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.com in State College, Pa., predicted the average temperature would likely be 2 to 3 degrees above normal.

“We are expecting this to be one of the warmer winters in recent memory across the Central Plains,” he said.

The reason is that the La Niña system in the central Pacific Ocean will keep most winter storms to the north, he said. La Niña, which means “the little girl” in Spanish, causes cold ocean temperatures and wetter winter conditions in the Pacific Northwest and warmer and drier conditions in the southern tier of the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

State climatologist Mary Knapp, with K-State Research and Extension, said the forecasts seemed to call for warmer temperatures, although about 1.5 degrees cooler than last winter.

Forecasters do say winter precipitation likely will be normal for northeast Kansas, and residents should prepare for the occasional winter storm and cold temperatures.

Jennifer Stark, the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Topeka, said Kansas winters have been mild the past few years overall, but they have also featured strong ice and snow storms, like last year’s costly storm that crippled most of western Kansas.

“It’s important to be prepared for those types of situations even if it’s not that common,” she said.

The National Weather Service and emergency management officials will be using Wednesday as Winter Weather Awareness Day to urge the public to prepare for day-to-day winter weather and be safe during major storms.

Stark recommended residents take steps such as having their furnaces checked and having ice melt on hand for the first hints of snow and ice.

She also said residents should prepare disaster kits, such as supplies of water, food, extra clothing, medicine, blankets and other necessary items in case of a power outage.

“I think the main thing is to just be prepared,” she said.

More information about winter weather preparedness is available online at www.weather.gov/topeka. Information about Kansas road conditions is available at 511.ksdot.org or by calling 511 from any phone in Kansas.

Although energy providers and officials have predicted price increases for propane users and those who rely mostly on heating oil in the Northeast this winter, Aquila, a Kansas natural gas provider that supplies most of Lawrence, and its leaders are predicting prices will be little different from last winter because of adequate supplies and other factors.

Overall warmer winter temperatures could help decrease heating costs, said Curt Floerchinger, an Aquila spokesman.

Reppert, the meteorologist with AccuWeather.com, said the forecast for one winter cannot be used to “judge climate change.” He said forecasters have predicted below-normal temperatures for the Pacific Northwest and northern Canada, based on La Niña.

“You can’t just look at one location,” he said.