CHICAGO – While last year’s winter was unusually warm and dry for Chicago, this time a much cooler winter with more snowfall is forecast, according to AccuWeather.

Chicago is forecast to see 12 to 18 inches of snow this winter, a significant jump from the 9 inches that fell last year but in line with the city average of 14 inches, said Paul Pastelok, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.

The main reason Pastelok and others are expecting a colder, wetter winter is a La Niña weather pattern developing in the Pacific, he said.

“We could see more frequent snow and ice events this winter” due to a mild La Niña hitting the country, Pastelok said.

La Niña is a natural climate pattern characterized by cooler-than-average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which influences weather patterns around the world. Pastelok expects this La Niña to be weak and short-lived, from about December to early January.

According to CNN, La Niña could shift the jet streams – which drive winter storms – north and toward Chicago. But a weaker La Niña could be less predictable and allow other local climate conditions to influence winter weather.

Last year’s winter was an El Niño, characterized by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures and leading to a warmer, drier winter in the United States.

“Be prepared here in late fall and watch for some early systems, especially north and west of Chicago,” Pastelok said. “I’m concerned about January where there could be a lot more mixed (precipitation) events and then fall back to a snowier pattern in February.”

While Pastelok doesn’t expect “monstrous” snow and wind events, the city’s typical mixed precipitation could cause disruptions, especially during rush hour, he said.

Pastelok recommends that Chicago residents check their power generator batteries in case of unexpected outages, especially if ice builds up mid-season.

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