When does winter begin in 2023? What to know about the snowy season

When does winter start? If you were to just go off recent weather in Ohio, you might think it's already upon us.

But the truth is, we have over a month left of fall before it truly is the season of winter and you're unpacking those snow shoes and shovels.

So what do you need to know about the upcoming winter? Here's a look.

When does winter begin?

Meteorological winter starts Dec. 1. Astronomical winter, caused by annual tilts in the Earth's axis, is expected to begin every year around Dec. 21 (the winter solstice) and end around the spring equinox, March 21. That's four months of cold and darkness. Astronomical winter in 2024 ends March 19.

Thanks to the leap day added every four years in February, the leap dates have shifted the actual equinox dates from their astronomical dates, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.

How will El Niño affect Ohio's winter?

While many in Ohio may have already seen their first snow and below-average temperatures on Halloween, the National Weather Service says to expect a mild, dry winter.

El Niño, which means "boy" in Spanish, is an general warming of the Pacific Ocean near the equator that occurs every two to seven years. Warm surface waters are replaced by colder flows coming from the depths, which changes the way storms travel across the globe between October and March.

It leads to abnormal weather everywhere, resulting from a "flipped pattern," in which the south is cooler than average and the north is warmer.

Expect less precipitation and higher temperatures in Ohio as the NWS predicts a drier, warm winter across the entire Ohio Valley region.

@Colebehr_report. Cbehrens@dispatch.com.