The onslaught of wild weather that has battered the USA in recent years — from Hurricane Sandy and deadly tornado outbreaks to extremes of drought and floods -- looks to be part of a "new normal" for weather patterns in the U.S., new National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said Wednesday.

With neither El Niño or a La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean, long-range weather forecasters have been struggling to develop confidence in their outlook for the coming spring season — a critical time for much of the West in terms of getting some relief from drought conditions.

Don't put the summer tires back on just yet. A change in the weather is on its way. But it may take some time. The National Weather Service's office in Grand Junction predicts that a few minor storms may roll through northwest Colorado starting about the evening of Dec. 5.

No Niño will be coming from the Pacific Ocean this winter, according to climate experts, making this winter’s long-term forecast a toss-up. For months this summer, patterns unfolding in the equatorial Pacific Ocean led forecasters to believe that El Niño — which typically creates wetter weather for the southern U.S. — was on tap for the upcoming winter.

Afternoon showers were a welcome sight this week on the heels of a long, hot dry spell that brought drought conditions to San Miguel County this summer. July until roughly August is known as the monsoon season in the San Juan mountains, and with it comes rain. Fears this summer were that an arid monsoon season could further increase the reality of wildfires.