** In the video above, the entire Super Doppler 10 Weather Team gathers for a lunchtime chat about this year’s winter outlook **
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) – Winter is coming, and with it already feeling like winter, what are some things that we can expect? First of all, in Hampton Roads, the average annual snowfall is 6.2 inches. That is based on a 30-year period from 1991-2020. This is also going to be a La Nina Winter, which in the recent past has brought us snowfall.
When we look at the snowiest winters, La Nina isn’t as much of a factor.
As you can see, only two winters on that list were La Nina winters. So for us, it’s not just the La Nina/El Nino pattern, it’s more. Factors like humidity, onshore breezes and temperatures in the upper and mid atmosphere can all be a factor in how much snow we see.
NOAA has put together its national winter outlooks. The image on the left is the temperature, the image on the right is precipitation.
The one thing we have seen this autumn is a development of a moderate drought across Hampton Roads. This drought is expected to persist into the winter, and possibly expand.
An expanding drought might mean colder/drier air masses in place which could be some of the ingredients for more snow! Or if it stays dry, well then a snow less winter. So are we going to get the 6.2″ of average snowfall this winter. We don’t know yet, but we’ll keep an eye on the long range models and give you a heads up when snow is possible.
Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson