AccuWeather's Winter Forecast Sees Less Snow in Pennsylvania

From the abundance of acorns in the fall to the bushiness of squirrel tails, there are many fanciful forecasting techniques have been used over the years as a means to glean a glimpse of what the weather will be like in the upcoming winter.

This winter is indeed looking like a snowy one across most of the northern tier of the contiguous United States, but AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok says, there is more to the forecast than just snowstorms.

Pastelok and his team of long-range forecasters are predicting a "triple dip La Niña," as it is the third winter in a row that La Niña will shape the weather patterns across the U.S. The regular climate phenomenon occurs when the water near the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean is cooler than average, which in turn influences the jet stream and the overall weather patterns in North America. Despite what will be the third La Niña winter in a row, this winter will not necessarily be a carbon copy of the past two.

AccuWeather released snowfall predictions for New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and Chicago.

Pittsburgh's prediction is 40-45 inches. Last year's snowfall accumulated 43.4 inches.

Philadelphia's prediction is 14-20 inches. Last year's snowfall accumulated 12.9 inches.