La Niรฑa Conditions Increase Likelihood of Wetter, But Not Necessarily Snowier, Winterโค for Ohio
Columbus, OH – โคNovember 14,โ 2025 – Ohioans should prepare for a possibly wetter-then-average โwinter, but whether that precipitation falls as snow remainsโ uncertain, according to the latest forecast released by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) on October 16. The developing La Niรฑa pattern is a key factor influencing the โoutlook, though pinpointing specific snowfall amounts remains impossible more than a week in advance.
The CPC forecast indicates an increased probability โof above-normal โคprecipitation for Ohio โbetween December 2025 and February 2026. However, the forecastโข does not detail the breakdown of โthat โprecipitation โฃ- how much โwill be rain, snow, or ice. Snowfall totals are heavily dependent on the strength and track of individual winter storms, which areโค difficult to predict with accuracy beyond short-term forecasts.
Temperature predictions for the same period are more ambiguous. The โCPC currently projects an equal chance of above, below, or near-normal temperatures across Ohio.
“Seasonal forecasts for El niรฑoโ andโค Laโ Niรฑa and โฃtheir associated impacts โขon our weatherโค are an vital climate intelligence tool,” said World Meteorological Institution secretary-general Celeste Saulo in a recent statement.”They translate into โmillions of dollars of economicโ savings for key โsectors likeโฃ agriculture, energy, health and transport and have saved thousands of lives when used to guide preparedness andโ response actions.”
La Niรฑa, characterized by unusually coolโค surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific ocean, typically influences weather patterns โglobally. While it frequently enough correlates withโข wetter โขconditions in the Ohio Valley, the specific impact on snowfall isโ lessโ direct.