Jim Noel
Winter will go down as much colder than normal with above normal snowfall and slightly above normal precipitation.
Temperatures across Ohio for winter will end averaging 3 to 9 degrees below normal from southeast to northwest.
Precipitation will average 100-125 percent of normal.
The March outlook calls for below normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.
The outlook for March to May calls for below normal temperatures to relax to near normal.
Precipitation will be near normal.
The big challenge this spring will be below normal soil temperatures that will likely linger into April and possibly May. Also, the Great Lakes ice cover is very high over 80%. This will mean the Great Lakes water temperatures will lag with below normal readings into Spring. This will likely keep a northwest flow of colder air from Canada into the eastern corn and soybean belt into spring.
We had forecast a colder than normal winter but the magnitude was significant enough that impacts to things like Great Lakes water temperatures are likely to keep the spring warmup in check.
The best historic years to this year for both atmosphere and ocean similarities appears to be the winter of 1962-63, 1978-79 and 1993-94. Other years somewhat similar would be 1977-78, 1983-84 and 1985-86. This is for the U.S. as a whole not just Ohio or the Ohio Valley.
Source : osu.edu