Cooler summer temperatures have many wondering how rough a winter the state might see. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says there is some evidence in the weather pattern we’ve already seen to have an idea of what winter could be like. Hillaker says we are in a so-called el-nino pattern which usually leads to different things in different times of the year. He says the pattern could lead to more shoveling in the early part of the winter weather.

Hillaker says the pattern typically brings cooler, wetter weather in the mid to late fall months of October and November, which he says could mean more snow than normal in the early winter or late fall. But the patter usually changes as the season moves on. He says once we get into the midwinter months of December, January and February, we often have warmer than normal and drier months, which means less snowfall. Hillaker says it’s likely we won’t see constant snow in this weather pattern.

Hillaker says el-nino is not a good predictor of total snowfall, but says it does indicate more snow early and less later in the winter. So far just three of the nine months of the year have had temperatures that were above average.