Ohio winter weather forecast. Will La Niña mean more or less snow?

On By Littum

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Have you felt that thump in the air? Did you break down and turn on your oven?

Winter is coming.

If you’ve been wondering what winter might look like, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Wilmington have you covered. They have already started forecasting Ohio’s winter weather.

Here’s what may be in store for Ohio this winter.

How La Niña could affect Ohio’s winter weather

A weak La Niña climate pattern will likely lead to above-average temperatures in Ohio through December, January and February, NWS meteorologist Brandon Peloquin said at the 2024 Franklin County Snow Emergency Briefing on Nov. 14.

La Niña is also likely to cause slightly below-average snowfall due to an increased occurrence of rain, Peloquin said. Central Ohio usually receives 20 to 30 inches of snow in the winter.

However, these predictions are not unwavering.

“All it takes is one storm to throw the season outlook out the window,” Peloquin said.

Ohio’s winter weather will remain as variable as ever, meaning there will be warm spells with the potential for rain and storms, and cold spells with snow and ice, Peloquin said.

Starting this year, NWS Wilmington’s wind chill advisory will also be renamed a cold road advisory to focus on how cold it is regardless of the wind, Peloquin added.

What is La Niña?

La Niña is a recurring climate pattern that occurs when the trade winds that push warm water westward from South America toward Asia are stronger than normal. Colder water rises to the surface to replenish the warm water pushed into Asia, which in turn affects weather patterns in the US

A cooler Pacific Ocean causes the Pacific jet stream, a fast-moving stream of air that circles the globe, to move northward, leading to colder and wetter conditions in northern states and warmer and drier conditions in the southern United States, according to the national weather service.

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