This is going to be broken away from the typical severe weather discussion. Indications for a moderate to strong El Niño this winter, so here are somethings to expect with the current thinking.

NWS Norman, Oklahoma - Weak to Moderate El Nio Conditions Expected During the Winter of 2006-2007 (http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/climate/elnino.php)
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA: El Niño to Help Steer U.S. Winter Weather (http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20091015_winteroutlook.html)

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/images/climate/elnino/strongelninowintersthumb.png

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/images/climate/elnino/moderateelninowintersthumb.png

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/images/winteroutlook_precip_300.jpg

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/images/winteroutlook_temp_300.jpg

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Thanks for that quality contribution. /sigh

Iiii'm dreaming...of a whiiiiiite Christmas....

Lets see if the lack of sunspots wins out and gives a COLDER winter than normal.

Lots of the sage older folks who don't know or care about the difference between a Doppler and a Poplar sure seem to be promising a cold, nasty winter by whatever tea leaves they read...be interesting to see if they're anywhere near right..

Although I realize we had the nasty ice storm that locked us up for a few days a couple of years ago, it seems its been a loooong time since we had really nasty, extended snowfall here in central OK. The one storm season that stands out in my mind was when I was in the 8th grade, which was back in 1978. We had a crazy weather pattern set up that saw successive snowstorms dump multiple inches of snow in OKC, so much that we were being bused back home from school literally an hour or two after arriving because the roads were so bad.

We missed so much school that year we had to attend a make-up day on a Saturday. There were standing double-digit accumulations (not drifts) of snow, and even once the storms cleared out, it didn't warm up enough to melt the snow for seemingly a couple of weeks.

I sure remember that year. I'd just had my second child the previous August and with a two year old, I had cabin fever like you wouldn't believe. The drifts on the side of the house were huge.

I just don't want an ice storm or snow storm the second week of December.

Hmmm...I can't see whatever Mid posted.

I remember all the talk of El Nino back in the 90's. We've had several years of rough weather with the ice and cold. It would be nice to get some actual snow. The last good snow I remember was back in my early college years. Sigh.

I just don't want an ice storm or snow storm the second week of December.

I'm with you there. I'm driving to the Great Lakes and back about then. Which probably means a major Blizzard in Chicago or something. :-P

I'm with you there. I'm driving to the Great Lakes and back about then. Which probably means a major Blizzard in Chicago or something. :-P

I certainly hope that doesn't happen. Drive safe!

Yeah, I'll never forget the winter of 1978. It started on New Year's Eve, 1977 with a big snow storm, probably as much as 6 in. I was trying to go to a New Year's party but my car couldn't get up the street, so I had to forget it. Seems like the snow never finished melting before the next big snow storm came as the weeks went by that winter. Days being cloudy much of the time didn't help. The snow never got fully melted and disappeared until the first week of March.