Halloween will be cold, but winter in Ohio should be warmer and less snowy this year
Winter could be harsh for some parts of the country and mild for others.
One thing that's certain is that the warm spell across northern Ohio is coming to an end.
"We've got a spooky forecast for Halloween," said Mike Griffin, a meteorologist who works in the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service.
After several days of weather in the 70s and 80s, next week's highs that only reach the 40s will seem extra cold. Overnight lows will likely drop to the 20s.
"Kind of a wintry type feel," Griffin said. "It may give us our first flakes of snow for the season."
Are we going to have a cold winter?
Meteorological winter begins Dec. 1, then astrological winter begins Dec. 21 with the solstice.
National forecasts have been telling everyone that this winter could be extra harsh because of an El Nino weather pattern.
"It will be colder with plenty more snow for millions of people who live in major cities, but that won’t be the case everywhere," an AccuWeather report reads.
The Old Farmer's Almanac has told its readers to pull out their sweaters: "The 2024 Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts snow, seasonable cold and all of winter’s delights."
Fortunately, those warnings are tailored more for southern readers and not Midwesterners.
Warmer winter with less precipitation in the forecast
The wind means different things to those who live on different portions of the continent.
"Typically an El Nino would bring us kind of a milder and drier patter," Griffin said.
Sure, there will still be some severe storms throughout the winter, he warned.
"That just means that overall, winter season as a whole would come out that way," Griffin said.
Winter as a whole will likely be less snowy for Ohioans.
"There have been exceptions in the past," Griffin said. "But overall, that's the kind of trend that we usually see with El Nino patterns up here."
The extended forecast, for now, looks pretty good through January for those Ohioans who don't care for cold and snow.
"For the next three months, the northern US and pretty much all the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley are above average temperature outlook," Griffin said. "Kind of below normal to maybe near normal precipitation."
ztuggle@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ohio's winter is forecast to be warmer and less snowy this year
