Will Godzilla El Nino Bring Snow to Shreveport This Winter?

Meteorologists are sounding the alarms on a climate anomaly developing in the Pacific Ocean. This weather event is called an 'El Nino', and it triggers when equatorial waters heat above historical average temperatures to fundamentally alter jet stream paths across North America.

Forecasters are adopting the term "Godzilla" for this particular system, due to the projected intensity. Usually, a climate system of this magnitude forcefully disrupts moisture flows across the continent, which is guaranteed to create alterations to winter weather behaviors...especially across the southern states.

How The Pacific Warming Impacts Louisiana Winters

The southern United States typically experiences cooler temperatures, and wetter conditions, during these El Nino events. Shreveport and Bossier City sit directly in the path of this amplified southern jet stream. Increased precipitation means local residents should prepare for higher precipitation totals from December through February. These shifting rain patterns often generate Thanksgiving and Christmas travel delays across airports and interstate highways.

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Northern parishes in Louisiana usually experience temperature averages dropping several degrees below normal during these winter months. The combination of cold surface air and Gulf moisture creates the potential for longer periods of precipitation during an El Nino. With the extra rainfall, and potential for severe weather conditions, it can test the areas infrastructure. Power grids and water systems face heightened stress when these sustained damp conditions lock in over the region.

Emergency management officials often track these historical weather trends to try and predict potential hazards ahead of time. But when a system gets nicknamed "Godzilla", what can you expect? Maybe snow?

The Odds Of A White Christmas In Shreveport

Winter storm maps currently show several states facing snow accumulation throughout this upcoming season, thanks to this "Godzilla" El Nino. However, Shreveport appears to be too far south to consistently secure freezing surface temperatures during these precipitation events. So the forecasters aren't lining up "Godzilla" snow for Shreveport right now.

A localized White Christmas requires the precise timing of an arctic airmass colliding with Gulf moisture...which is really hard to predict right now. However, with the increased chances of precipitation due to El Nino, all it will take is a cold air mass to come through in late December, and the ingredients will be there.

While the recognition of the "Godzilla" El Nino doesn't guarantee snow for Shreveport, the idea that there will be more days with precipitation probably increases the chances for a white Christmas...even if the odds are still LOW.