We’ve seen our first flakes of the year, what could this mean for our winter weather?

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The first flakes have officially fallen here in south-central Kentucky, and while it was not much, it does signify that the cold weather season is here.

But could this early snow mean anything for south-central Kentucky? Well, while snow this early isn’t common, it has happened before and even earlier. Some longtime residents might even remember a few earlier snow events.

“Some folks, especially those born in the ’80s, may remember trick-or-treating in the snow. In Halloween 1993, we got about an inch in Bowling Green. Other parts of western Kentucky received three or four inches out of that system. And then there was a whopper of a winter storm that occurred very early in the season in 1966, Nov. 2 to Nov. 3. Bowling Green had eight inches of snow, and that system brought a foot of snow to Scottsville and Glasgow. So incredible storm for so early in a year,” said Shane Holinde, outreach manager for Kentucky Mesonet and the Kentucky Climate Center.

But could this early snow be a glimpse into our future, though?

Well, Bowling Green usually averages around nine inches of snow a year, and it’s been nearly a decade since we’ve seen 20 inches of snow in one season. So are we due for another big snow season?

“The last time we had more than 20 inches of snow in a season was almost 10 years ago now. The winter of 2015-16, which is the last time we had one winter storm bring us more than a foot of snow that occurred on January 22, 2016. So law of averages states that we are coming due for another winter along those lines. Will that be this season? We’ll just have to wait and see,” Holinde said.

What is known, though, is that we are entering into a La Nina weather pattern, and this means that the colder months could be wetter and bring more storms that could be severe. So enjoy the snow while you can, and be sure to plan ahead if any severe storms head our way.