How much snow should we expect in the Philadelphia region this winter and how warm will it be? Here’s what we know from the National Weather Service.
How much snow should fall in the Philly region this winter?
The average snowfall in Philadelphia is about 22 inches in a season. Based on the NOAA’s guidance, we can expect about 18 inches of snow in the Philadelphia region this winter.
How a weaker La Niña will impact winter in the Philly region
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La Niña and El Niño are opposing climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can impact weather worldwide. During La Niña events, trade winds are stronger than normal and push more warm water toward Asia, causing increased upwelling and colder water to the surface off the west coast of the Americas.
The cold water in the Pacific pushes the jet stream northward which leads to cooler temperatures than normal in the North.
This winter, the Philadelphia region can expect a weaker La Niña, meaning milder than average temperatures. This will lead to less snowfall than average. However, the snowfall amount in a weak La Niña is only slightly below average, which means we’ll likely see more snow in the Philly region this year than the last two winters.
In a weak La Niña pattern, large scale nor’easters and powerful storms are less common. The snow that will fall in the Philly region this winter will likely come from smaller scale systems that traverse the country.
What happened in the Philly region during the last two winters?
The past two winters in the Philly region have been tame and a disappointment for those who love the snow. This upcoming winter will have a different setup than the last two. During the last winter, there was a strong El Niño while the winter two years ago had a strong La Niña. In both cases, the storm track favored rain instead of snow. Temperatures were very mild and last winter specifically was the wettest on record for parts of the Pennsylvania region.
Throughout the fall and winter, be sure to get the latest weather updates and forecasts by downloading the NBC10 app and following the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team.
