Winter in Seattle area expected to be colder, wetter than usual — does that mean more snow?

The Puget Sound region is likely to have a La Niña winter this year, meaning it will be a colder and wetter season than usual, according to a new report.

What does “wetter” mean when you’re talking about Seattle, anyway? Well, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see a lot of snow.

The long-term forecast just released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts broad trends for the region, rather than foretelling specific weather in specific regions.

“Climate predictions have very little skill in forecasting particular events,” said Justin Pullin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle. “It’s just a basic average outlook of the kind of conditions we can expect.”

That doesn’t mean, though, the report didn’t unleash winter wishes from folks on social media. In an informal poll the weather service posted on Twitter, 56% of respondents indicated they want “all the snow.”

In the short term, this weekend is looking wet, with two weak weather systems expected to move into the Puget Sound area over the next three days, Pullin said.

Friday afternoon brought some rain showers, gusts of about 25 mph winds and a high temperature of 62 degrees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, said NWS meteorologist Steve Reedy.

We’ll get a respite on Saturday — which Reedy said is expected to see a high temperature of 58 degrees — before another possible round of light rain Sunday morning and afternoon. By Monday, the area will likely by drier, Reedy said.