Thanks to heat, some places can just chill this winter

As sweltering heat continued across much of the USA this week, forecasters say relief in the form of a mild winter is on the way.

The 2010-11 winter season will start strong in the East Coast, and then ease back to normal winter temperatures, says Ken Reeves, director of forecast operations at AccuWeather.com. Warmer-than-normal temperatures in the Southeast will make Florida "a perfect winter destination," but the country's Northwest, northern Plains and Great Lakes states will have above-normal snowfall. Southern California will be "bone dry."

The National Weather Service says immediate relief from the country's current hotter-than-normal temperatures will come in the form of a cold front today. The front is likely to quell record heat that hit the Mississippi Valley on Wednesday, where temperatures rose to 102 in Evansville, Ind., beating an 80-year record, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Hedge said.

The winter forecast will be good news for some, but bring problems for others:

•In Omaha, another year of abnormal snow may be a problem for seniors, said Jeff Reinhardt, director of public affairs for the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, which runs the Meals on Wheels program there.

"With ice and snow, shoveling's a huge problem; the cold makes their heating bills go up," Reinhardt says.

Omaha was snow-covered for three months in a row last year, Reinhardt says. "I'm not looking forward to that again," he says.

•In Southern California, drier-than-normal conditions could exacerbate water shortages, said Dana Friehauf with the San Diego County Water Authority.

The authority is trying to fill reservoirs in preparation and has extended water restrictions.

•In Pensacola, Fla., where the oil spill deterred some tourists this summer, Tamara Baldanza of the Margaritaville Hotel said she is "thrilled" to hear the winter may be mild. "I hope people who canceled will decide to rebook for this winter."

•In Cleveland, where more snow than usual is forecast, Commissioner of Streets Randell Scott says, "Let it snow; we can handle it."

The city gets an average 63.3 inches of snow in a season, has 74 plows, 12 road graders and three industrial-size snow blowers, he said.