Could a La Niña Mean a Cold, Snowy Winter for the Hudson Valley?

Winter is probably the last thing on your mind as we approach the beginning of July, but could a potential La Niña mean a cold, snowy winter for the Hudson Valley?

AccuWeather forecasters are saying a weak La Niña could develop on the heels of the recent El Niño. Meteorologists say this would happen late in the fall to early winter.

La Niña is the cooler than normal counterpart to El Niño. A La Niña means the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal.

So what does this mean?

Well, for one thing, it could mean more tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean, and a warmer than normal fall for the Hudson Valley and eastern United States.

Winter, however, is when the full brunt of the La Niña could be felt.

La Niña could lead to some big East Coast snow storms, with areas in southern New York state and northeastern Pennsylvania seeing higher-than-normal totals this winter.

As always, weather forecasters' long-term predictions are not set in stone, so this doesn't necessarily mean anything major. The Old Farmer's Almanac, as well as some local forecasters, had predicted a snowy winter for the Hudson Valley last year. Of course, the winter of 2015-16 ended up being very mild with well below average snowfall.

But even if the snowy predictions are true, there are certainly some who would welcome a cold winter to the Hudson Valley.

After all, it is the northeast. Isn't it supposed to snow during the winter?