Super El Niño could shape Cincinnati’s winter in surprising ways

Super El Niño could shape Cincinnati’s winter in surprising ways Advertisement Updated: 10:16 AM EST Nov 10, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Randi Rico WLWT News 5 TODAY Meteorologist Super El Niño could shape Cincinnati’s winter in surprising ways Updated: 10:16 AM EST Nov 10, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Randi Rico WLWT News 5 TODAY Meteorologist CINCINNATI — Holiday decorations are going up, and temperatures are headed down. That’s got people talking about snow—and just how much we’ll get this winter. This winter is an El Niño, and that means different things for different parts of the country. Northern states typically see warmer-than-normal temperatures, while Southern states experience wetter-than-normal conditions. Advertisement You may hear that El Niño means a rough winter, but here in the Ohio Valley, that’s not typically the case. In general, we can anticipate warmer-than-normal temperatures and likely lower-than-normal precipitation during an Ohio Valley El Niño winter. A “normal” winter here brings 20.5 inches of snow. WLWT WLWT But this is a strong “super” El Niño, and it can behave erratically. We dug into the numbers for the last three super El Niño winters in Cincinnati: 2015–2016, 1997–1998, and 1982–1983. Data from the “official” reporting site at the airport (CVG) and the National Weather Service in Wilmington (ILN) revealed that nothing is guaranteed during a super El Niño winter here. WLWT It could get off to a slow start. In two of the three winters, the first measurable snowfall (0.1 inches or more) didn’t occur until the second week of January! And in the winter of 1982–1983, Cincinnati and ILN picked up matching, very low snowfall totals of 6.6 inches. In 2015–2016, snowfall totals were a little below normal, but not by much: 19.2 inches at CVG and 18.5 inches at ILN. But in 1997–1998, CVG recorded 31.4 inches of snow, while ILN recorded 19.4 inches. The dramatic difference that year was a record-setting snowstorm! There have been only a handful of times when Cincinnati recorded 10 inches of snow or more in a single day—and one of those was during a super El Niño! From February 4–6, 1998, a powerful East Coast storm brought significant moisture west of the Appalachians, and 18.5 inches of snow fell in Cincinnati. Of that, 11.8 inches fell on February 4. It remains the largest one-day snowfall total ever recorded in Cincinnati. During that storm, snowfall totals across southern Ohio ranged from 8 to 24 inches! So this year’s super El Niño generally means we’ll get a warmer, less active winter. But think of it like a snowball fight: During some super El Niño winters, most of the snowballs miss us. Other times, Cincinnati takes a direct hit. Make WLWT a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Inflation numbers are in. Try our calculator to estimate the cost difference of various groceries Florida cowboys rescue farm animals left stranded by flooding: 'It's gut-wrenching' Top Runway model, '227' actress, dies at 74 after 'long, courageous battle' with MS Baker who's legally blind pursues dream of running his own bakery. He faces unique challenges