El Nino Winter Coming, But Wenatchee , Region To Be COLD Early

We'll see a big change in the weather this week. 

National Weather Service Meteorologist Laurie Nisbet says it'll arrive by Wednesday. 

"We have a very cold system moving in from the north," said Nisbet. "It'll bring in much cooler temperatures and a good chance of precipitation to the region." 

Nisbet says daytime highs will be quite a bit below normal of about 55. 

"For Wednesday it's 42, and Thursday, 40. Fifteen degrees below normal.” 

Overnight lows will fall to the mid 20s by Friday night.

There's also a chance for about two-tenths of an inch of snow on Wednesday in Wenatchee. Pangborn Airport could see a half inch. 

Snow typically doesn’t fall until the month of November. At lower elevations around Wenatchee, Nisbet says November snowfall averages 1.5 inches over the last 30 years. 

The average in December is 6 inches, 5.6 inches in January, 3 inches in February and 0.4 inches in March. 

The average snowfall from November through March at lower elevations in the Wenatchee area is 16.5 inches. 

Nisbet notes the colder air is coming ahead of an El Nino winter from December through February when temperatures are projected to be warmer than normal. 

“Overall, we’re forecasting above average temperatures’” Nisbet said. “It’s not to say that there won’t be periods, or a couple of days here or there, where temperatures are cold, or below average or you see snow. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has increased its prediction for El Nino this winter from moderate to strong.     

El Nino occurs when trade winds over the Pacific Ocean are weaker and there's less upwelling of cold water.    

The result is strong storms that often hit the Northwest go south into California instead.    

It could also result in less snowpack in the Cascades.