Looking Ahead To Winter - Could Be One of the Worst!!

Good evening! Before I go to the winter talk... the weather continues to be gorgeous around here! Expect several more before changes come next week. Rain could return late Wednesday-Thursday, followed by much cooler temperatures.

Now to the winter talk- I have spent the past several days researching info and long-range forecasting on the upcoming winter. All I can say is, it could be WILD! According to accuweather's experts, they have the hoosier state in the "brutal winter" catagory! Check out the map:


As we look back to last year, it was a rough winter around here! One thing that sticks to my mind is the ice storm that crippled the entire area for days-in early February. Just to our north in Chicago-they had near 2 feet of snow, basically shutting down the city. Could that be us this year? We'll see! To put it all into perspective, here are main highlights of the upcoming winter 2011-2012:

Early start to winter- The winter season looks to get active and going in December, meaning lots of snow and cold, along with an early start to winter!

Active winter expected- The jet stream will be positioned just south of Indiana, meaning will be stuck in a very active pattern. I expect a lot more heavy snowstorms than we saw last year. I think blizzards will even be possible for us this winter if everything plays out.

A cold winter ahead- Similar to last year, temperatures will be frigid December-January. We could see temps running way below normal. Good news? The cold may ease some by February.

Ice storm threat- While the ice threat may not be a big issue this winter, can't rule that out! It looks like several ice storms could pound areas to our south like Tennessee & Kentucky this winter. We may get on the icy side of some systems every now and then, but let's hope not! This won't be easy to pinpoint.

So there are the main highlights for the winter ahead. In general, I expect this winter to be a bit worse than last year. I expect more major storm systems to move through the area all winter long. Temperatures will likely be frigid December-January, then easing in February.

I know you're probably hoping my forecast is wrong! :) So am I! I expect there to be changes to that forecast, so I will issue another winter forecast coming up in November.

Thanks for checking the blog, be sure to enjoy the nice weather the rest of the weekend! Have a great evening!