Forecasts for the next three months show an average winter

CINCINNATI - We’ve got a big warm up in the forecast after a blast of chilly weather over the holidays.

A little over a week ago, the Tri-State was buried in snow after a series of winter storms rolled through. Most areas in Butler County, including West Chester and Oxford, got over a half-foot of snow. Roads were treacherous at times, but some folks still managed to have fun sledding and skiing, taking advantage of all the powder.

After the snow came the cold, with temperatures plummeting into the teens last week. 

Although we had a cold and wintry end of December, 2012 turned out to be the fifth-warmest year on record. So, what are we expecting for 2013?

For the month of January, the Climate Prediction Center has the Tri-State in an area of a good chance of seeing above-average temperatures. When you look at the next three months -- January, February, and March -- much of the nation is forecasted to be above average, with the Tri-State falling just outside of this area, so the rest of the winter looks to be typical at this time. 

But this week looks to be anything but typical as temperatures will soar well above average by the end of the week and, dare I say, feel a little spring-like. 

Get the complete 7 day forecast here: http://www.wcpo.com/subindex/weather/forecast/7_day_forecast

You can get more from the Climate Prediction Center here: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

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