Why there is a ‘snow hole’ in the Tri-State this year so far

CINCINNATI — Yup, you’re right - We’ve continued to see winter storms shoot to the south of us, so far, this season. The overall global pattern has been altered by La Niña. (By the way, here's the forecast for Sunday's snow)

During normal conditions in the Pacific Ocean, trade winds blow west along the equator, but La Niña changes this pattern allowing for a cooler than average Pacific Ocean.

These cold waters in the Pacific push the jet stream northward.

For us, the resulting change in the jet stream, or storm track, means a shift of our winter storms. Don’t worry, it doesn’t happen every storm and we’ll likely get “whacked” once of these times!

This tends to lead to drought in the southern U.S. and heavy rains and flooding in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the South and cooler than normal in the North. La Niña can also lead to a more severe hurricane season.

A La Niña “season” typically last nine to 12 months, but can sometimes last for years. La Niña events occur every two to seven years, on average, but they don’t occur on a regular schedule.

NWS