If the cold front and dropping nighttime temperatures have you thinking about winter weather, you are not alone.

But don’t put on your snow boots yet.

While the far western Oklahoma Panhandle has already seen enough snow this month to close trails at Black Mesa State Park, most of Oklahoma is still waiting for its first dusting of snow. Higher than normal temperatures have kept the usual cool fall weather at bay for most of the season so far.

The climate phenomenon known as La Niña, which is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, is bringing warmer and drier conditions to Oklahoma.

When does the first snow fall in Oklahoma City?

According to weather observations at OKC Will Rogers International Airport that date back nearly 80 years, the earliest snow on record was five days before Halloween 2020, when a total of 0.5 inches of snow fell on Oklahoma City. It was only the second time snow fell in October.

However, on average, the first snowfall in Oklahoma City occurs on December 2.

More: How cold will it be? NOAA’s winter forecast maps for 2024-25 show what to expect in Oklahoma

That is, if it snows before New Year’s Eve. Since 1948, only 150 inches of snow has fallen in October, November or December. Compare that to the first half of the year, which has seen 178 inches of snowfall in Oklahoma City over the past seventy years.

The first best chance for snow in Oklahoma City will be Wednesday evening, when a cold front brings a chance for light snow in northern Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Center in Norman. As that weather pattern approaches, a more reliable forecast will be available.

Snowfall records in Oklahoma City

The chance of snowfall in Oklahoma’s temperate climate decreases dramatically after February, but the last season’s snowfall in Oklahoma City occurred on June 16, 1955. One-tenth of an inch of snow was observed that day.

According to historical records, it has snowed in April only five times in the past 76 years. Less than an inch of snow fell in each event. The most recent snowfall occurred on April 13 and 14 in the year 2020.

The largest single-day snowfall ever recorded in Oklahoma City occurred on Christmas Eve in 2009. The airport monitoring station measured more than a foot of snow in just one day:

1. December 24, 2009 – 13.5 inches

2. February 1, 2011 – 11.8 inches

3. March 10, 1948 – 8.4 inches.

4. January 18, 1987 – 8.3 inches.

5. December 14, 1987 – 8.3 inches.

The most recent snowfall in Oklahoma City occurred on March 27.

Forecasts for the winter of 2024-2025 in Oklahoma

Meteorological winter starts on December 1.

Oklahoma will have a slightly warmer winter than in recent years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports. Normal or slightly below normal precipitation levels are expected for much of Oklahoma, according to the Climate Prediction Center’s winter outlook.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: When will it snow in Oklahoma? Winter forecasts for 2024 for flurries