Should Bostonians expect lots of snow this winter? One local meteorologist says no.
CBS Boston's Eric Fisher expects another "lackluster" winter for the third year in a row. Fisher said several factors indicate early sings of a warmer season in Boston during the next few months.
The meteorologists said what the El Nino Southern Oscillation is doing should be a good starting point on how the season will play out. Fisher says while El Nino is a warming of the equatorial Pacific, La Nina cools the waters and many of Boston's snowiest winters take place when the ENSO signal is weak or neutral, while strong events on either side of the spectrum lead to warmer winters.
The 2020-21 winter season in the La Nina column predicts a moderate to strong event expected for the next few months, meaning a warmer season is expected.
Additionally, Fisher reports that the belief in an "October Snow Curse" or "November Bellwether" holds some merit. Boston has typically had warmer winters after early snow was present in October in November, including 2011, where it "basically never snowed again" for the remainder of the season.
The city also saw measurable snow in October 2005 and 2009, but lacked noteworthy snow for the following months. Fisher acknowledged that it is difficult to predict any weather patterns, let alone 2-to-3 months in advance and there is a chance that outlooks will change.
You can read Fisher's full analysis of the 2020-21 winter outlook here.
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