David Payne Shares His Winter Weather Forecast

We had near record highs again on Thursday, but big changes are just hours away. So, News 9 weather team has been busy tracking the latest about what's ahead for us this winter.

We have a developing La Nina going on right now in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The water temperatures down there are cool and they're going to get cooler. There's also a pocket of colder water in the north Pacific. That colder water is going to play a key role in our weather pattern coming up this winter.

In a typical La Nina weather pattern, we normally see colder weather in the northern states and wetter than normal weather in the Great Lakes and in the Ohio Valley. Then, from Oklahoma to the south, normally it's fairly dry during a La Nina weather pattern.

There's been a lot of snow from Canada all the way over to Russia. A lot of snow fell in October and it continues to snow much above normal across Russia and across parts of Canada. The air up there is already pretty chilly and that's going to help forecast exactly what's going to take place across the U.S. as we get into this winter.

So, News 9’s Chief Meteorologist David Payne’s precipitation forecast for the upcoming winter will be above average in the Great Lakes, slightly above average just to the east of Oklahoma and for Oklahoma, right now, it's slightly below average. A little drier winter, it looks like, coming our way.

As far as the temperatures go, for the winter, we're looking at much below average. In the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley, north and east of Oklahoma, it will be cold. However, from Oklahoma to the south, it will be average. Then, out west, the temperatures will be above average.

As far as the snowfall goes for the winter, David Payne thinks it will be below average, for much of the southern plains, of course, including Oklahoma, but above average snowfall in the Great Lakes and the northeast.

The winter forecast summary shows near normal temperatures but it will be colder than last winter, you can count on that. There will be arctic air outbreaks off and on and below normal snowfall but more than last year.

Last year, we barely had any at all and David Payne thinks we'll end up with an ice storm or two.

The bottom line, on David Payne’s winter severity scale from one to nine, one being “keep calm and carry on,” to a nine being “Katy bar the door,” we're going to give this upcoming winter a three.

News 9’s weather team will be tracking it. Stay with News 9, they'll keep you advised.