A report released last week from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that La Nina isn't expected to happen this winter. La Nina often leads to a wetter winter in the Ohio Valley where warm and cold air clash. This can cause larger snow events or battles with ice in the Ohio Valley.
So what happens in Cincinnati when we expect a "normal" winter?
We generally get around 21 inches of snowfall from December through March in the Tri-State. Last year we picked up 19.2 inches of snow during this 4 month span. Winter got off to a slow start with only a trace amount of snow in December. But even with El Nino at play, we saw a rather normal winter and made up ground in snowfall events in January (8.5 inches) and February (8.4 inches).
Temperatures drop to the coldest levels over the month of January. That month along with February generally tie for the highest snowfall totals and our bigger snow events.
"Normal" snow numbers by month
Here's a more in-depth look at each month:
DECEMBER
- 4.8 inches of snow on average
- High by December cools to a chilly 39 degrees
JANUARY
- 6.5 inches of snow on average
- Daily highs range from 38-40 degrees for our coldest month
FEBRUARY
- 6.5 inches of snow on average
- The average high of Valentine's Day is only 43 degrees, more reason to snuggle with your sweetheart
- Daily highs range from 40-47 degrees
MARCH
- 3 inches of snow on average
- Last year we recorded 2.3 inches of snow in March
