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Jeff Verszyla's Winter Weather Forecast

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Nov 3, 2008 6:48 pm US/Eastern

Jeff Verszyla's Winter Weather Forecast

Reporting
Jeff Verszyla
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Now that November is here, the daily weather terminology shifts from mostly sunny to mostly cloudy and we go from dressing in loose, light colored clothing to bundling up in layers and from cutting the grass to shoveling the driveway.

Like it or not, winter weather is eminent and, with old man winter looming, everyone wants to know what winter has in store.

Headed into this winter El Nino will be neutral or as some like to call it "La Nada".

So with no significant El Nino or La Nina does that mean this winter will be normal? In a word no!

The headline phrase for this winter will be bookends of cold with the worst of winter hitting us sooner rather than later and then making a come back before gobbler's knob gets hopping.

Temperatures will be a bit below normal for November with my forecast predicting highs averaging 48 degrees, slightly below the norm of 50.

Snowfall will be normal as we finish the month with just over 3 inches.

The first big "brrrr" of the season will hit town in early December.

Temps are expected to take a nosedive into below normal territory for much of the month with an average high of just 37 degrees -- a full 3 notches below the norm of 40.

To add insult to injury, numerous snowfalls will result in snow totals of 12.2 inches, well above normal of 6.9 inches.

The good news? White Christmas dreams will likely become reality this year.

January, which is often the hardest month of the season, will reverse itself this time and bring an extended thaw just after the start of the new year.

The first month of 2009 will end up normal temperature-wise with highs averaging 35 degrees.

Thankfully, snowfall will be less frequent in January with overall snow totals, at 11 inches, just below the norm of 12.3 inches.

Before Phil does his annual shadow search, winter's second extended cold snap will take shape.

February will bring a harsh slap in the face with temperatures well below the 30 year average.

Thirty-four is my forecast for the average daily high, while normal would be 39.

February will likely end up being the busiest month for your snow shovel too with 14 inches expected to pile up over the 28 days, which is 6 inches more than average.

The best news about my seasonal outlook will come with the prognostication for an early arrival of spring-like weather in March.

I expect temperatures to make a quick turn around and head into the above normal neighborhood early in March, with highs averaging 52 and lows 34.

The icing on the cake comes with a total snowfall of only 4 inches in March, which is about 50 percent below the normal of 7.9 inches.

The total snowfall for the season will be 44.3 inches, which is above the average of 38.7 inches.

We have a better than 50-percent chance of a white Christmas.

The worst months in terms of cold and snow will be December and February and we'll have an extended thaw come January.

We'll also get an early taste of spring in March.


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