How ‘La Niña’ could affect Tulsa this winter

TULSA — Climatologists say “La Niña” conditions will likely prevail this winter, meaning colder than usual water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.

For parts of the country, primarily the northeast, that will likely mean a cooler, wetter winter.

But for Tulsa and much of the southwest, the opposite holds true - La Niña usually brings warmer, drier air.

Steve Piltz is Meteorologist-in-Charge for the National Weather Service Office in Tulsa.

He tells KRMG the long range forecast for the upcoming winter takes that La Niña effect into consideration.

“Overall, the snowfall pattern should be below normal, and normal for Tulsa is nine or ten inches, so we could still have a six, seven inch snowfall,” Piltz said.

But, he warns, “normal in Oklahoma is kind of hard to come by,” and because the state is far inland and subject to complex weather factors, it’s hard to make an accurate prediction.

That’s especially true for long range forecasts.

“For us, it’s a little more iffy,” Piltz said, “and you always take the seasonal forecast with a grain of salt.”