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How cold and snowy is La Nina for you?

Change in pattern likely this winter

How cold and snowy is La Nina for you?

Change in pattern likely this winter

We'll get ready to hear the words La Nina mentioned *** lot as we go into the next couple of months, La Nina is the cooling of ocean temperatures out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It displaces *** jet stream and it can certainly play *** pretty big role in our winter weather, especially during the month of December, January and February. So this right here, this compares the temperatures during previous La Nina's over our average. And so the way that you look at this right here is that if you're yellow or orange, then typically your temperatures are warmer than normal during the winter season. And then if you are in this green or blue uh pier, then your temperatures are usually cooler than normal. And so one thing that, that you can really, you know, stand out that really stands out from this map is that we typically do see temperatures much colder than normal in the northern and northwestern tier of the United States as well as out across the west coast. But the cold fronts typically are not as strong as they come across the southern tier of the United States. So Texas New Mexico, southern Oklahoma and as you go into the southeast, but there's also an area that is like *** battleground where basically we just don't really have enough data to swing, you know, the temperature outlook in either direction. And that doesn't include places like Oklahoma City, Wichita, Kansas, uh Kansas City, Missouri. As you go up in towards uh you know, Saint Louis and as you go in towards around say Louisville, Kentucky, So there is definitely *** battleground right here, even as you go out towards Denver and towards Salt Lake City, where really this could either be colder than normal or warmer than normal. So something to keep in mind with that right there. Now, from *** snow output, how does the snow forecast usually look during *** La Nina winter? Well, in this case, if you are yellow, then you are typically drier than normal or less snow than normal. We do see that in Oklahoma across Kansas, across Texas, believe it or not, there actually is *** little zone there going into southern and southeastern Arkansas, going into northern Mississippi and western Tennessee here where they typically see *** little bit more snow than normal. Mid-atlantic typically doesn't get *** whole lot of snow during *** La Nina winter. But areas that do get *** lot of snow, we're looking at uh the western slope here of Colorado, going into Utah, Wyoming, Montana and out across California. So for Oklahoma, we may not get *** lot of snow, but we can still get some cold temperatures in here. Definitely *** lot to look at. We have plenty of time to do so. But if you're comparing this upcoming La Nina to previous La Nina winters, this is what it typically looks like. We'll watch it closely for you.
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How cold and snowy is La Nina for you?

Change in pattern likely this winter

Chief Meteorologist Damon Lane shows how a winter usually turns out when dealing with La Nina.>> KOCO weather page | Get KOCO on the GoMore changes are on the way. La Nina occurs when the ocean temperatures in the middle of the Pacific Ocean fall below average. During this process, the jet stream can shift and favor certain areas with either a good chance for more snow or less. In this case, when looking at previous La Nina winters, there is a noticeable bias towards a milder than normal winter for the south and a colder than normal winter for the north.Places like Oklahoma City, though, are right on the border of cold and mild, which means it's extremely difficult to make a temperature outlook for the winter during a La Nina. On the other hand, our winters are notorious for being less snowy than normal with the west and Rocky Mountains being favored for more snow than normal. So, will this winter follow the trends of previous La Nina's? Only time will tell. Stay tuned. Be sure to download the KOCO 5 App to receive customized weather alerts. You can watch our team coverage on the app, too.>> Check Closings>> Check Live, Interactive Radar>> Watch KOCO 5 Coverage>> Download the KOCO 5 App on iPhone>> Download the KOCO 5 App on Android>> "Like" KOCO 5 on Facebook>> "Follow" KOCO 5 on X>> Stream KOCO 5 weather updates anytime on the Very Local app

Chief Meteorologist Damon Lane shows how a winter usually turns out when dealing with La Nina.

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>> KOCO weather page | Get KOCO on the Go

More changes are on the way. La Nina occurs when the ocean temperatures in the middle of the Pacific Ocean fall below average. During this process, the jet stream can shift and favor certain areas with either a good chance for more snow or less.

In this case, when looking at previous La Nina winters, there is a noticeable bias towards a milder than normal winter for the south and a colder than normal winter for the north.

Places like Oklahoma City, though, are right on the border of cold and mild, which means it's extremely difficult to make a temperature outlook for the winter during a La Nina.

On the other hand, our winters are notorious for being less snowy than normal with the west and Rocky Mountains being favored for more snow than normal.

So, will this winter follow the trends of previous La Nina's? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.


Be sure to download the KOCO 5 App to receive customized weather alerts. You can watch our team coverage on the app, too.

>> Check Closings

>> Check Live, Interactive Radar

>> Watch KOCO 5 Coverage

>> Download the KOCO 5 App on iPhone

>> Download the KOCO 5 App on Android

>> "Like" KOCO 5 on Facebook

>> "Follow" KOCO 5 on X

>> Stream KOCO 5 weather updates anytime on the Very Local app