Newly released Boston snowfall predictions show El Nino’s effects

Boston is headed for another winter of greater-than-normal snowfall but not as much as last winter, according to a weather expert.

“It’s the strongest El Nino since ’97, ’98 – I think it’s a big factor,”Judah Cohen, principal scientist and director of seasonal forecasting at Atmospheric and Environmental Research, toldWCVB. “It’ll be hard to repeat anything close to last year.”

Last year, Boston experienced a brutal winter that received a record 110 inches of snow, WCVB reported.

“[This year’s] model predicted 62 inches,” Cohen said to WCVB. “So you know, it’s above average.”

“If we didn’t have such a big El Nino, I would be more confident about a cold and snowy winter,” Cohen said to WCVB. “I certainly would expect a wetter snow than what we had last year.”

Cohen’s model considers snowfall in Siberia during the month of October to help forecast the New England region’s approaching winter, WCVB stated, adding that Siberia’s snow cover was above normal this past October. “So that typically means a colder and snowier winter here,” Cohen was quoted.

Snow could come as early as November 27, according to Fox’s Kevin Lemanowicz, who predicted Boston would ultimately receive 55 inches of snow. The Fox report added that its team of meteorologists predicts at least 35 inches for the season with the first snowfall coming as late as December 7.

Eric Fisher,CBS Boston’s chief meteorologist,predicted any solid chances for notable snow coming after mid-December. “Any coastal storm that could possibly … nose up into New England would likely induce a surge of milder air and keep most of any snow potential well inland,” he predicted in the CBS report. “We still think the better odds of snow and cold will come later in the winter this time around.”