The West River region could get some drought relief late in the winter or early next spring, according to state climatologist Dennis Todey.

But wetter-than-average early spring is contingent on the La Nina condition in the Pacific Ocean developing more strength, said Todey, of the South Dakota State University Extension Service.

La Nina conditions exist now, with colder-than-average water in the Pacific west of Ecuador now, he said.

"Typically, with La Nina we would expect a better chance of cooler temperatures," Todey said. "But that may be offset by this trend of warmer winters that we've had recently."

Predicting which trend will prevail is difficult, he said.

"It will probably be a little cooler winter than we have had recently, but not terribly cold, I would guess."

Todey said typically, La Nina means a little less precipitation for this region. However, if it's strong enough, there is a possibility of a wet early spring in western South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.