Snowy and cold winter so far, but will it last?

The winter season so far has been much colder and snowier than normal and last winter.

This goes hand in hand with the La Nina pattern we have had so far this winter. However, However, this could change for the second half of winter, because the La Nina pattern is expected to weaken.

For February, temperatures will likely fluctuate the way that they have this past month. Precipitation is expected to be above normal, but the ups and downs in temperature will affect precipitation type. While inches of snow will keep adding up, but there will still be a good mix of rain.

For the next three months combined, February, March and April, overall temperatures will average out to be slightly below normal, and precipitation will still be above normal. This means that we could receive more snow during February and March than we did last year during that time.

Now as we head towards February, there are a ton of local festivals that need the weather to be cold. Unfortunately, the sporadic warm ups in store could put a lot of them at risk, especially with this weekend's warm up. This weekend starts with the Niles Hunter Ice Festival. The carving is getting underway as artists start their freezing masterpieces.

Organizers say they have plans in place to make sure the sculptures don't become puddles. ”We have had all kinds of weather challenges. Last year was 62 and sunny and most everything was melted by 10 in the morning this year the weather appears to be gonna be a little warm, in the 30's that's a whole heck of a lot colder than it was at 62, and overcast so i think we're going to be good on Saturday,” says Lisa Croteau, the Program Manager.

Organizers did say they plan to protect the sculptures with plastic on Sunday and Monday when it is supposed to rain. If the sculptures stay frozen, they plan to keep the works of icy art up on and on displays for a few weeks so everyone all have a chance to check them out.