Will La Niña affect Indianapolis snowfall? Here's what to know

Karl Schneider, Indianapolis Star

Mon, December 15, 2025 at 10:29 AM UTC

2 min read

The La Niña conditions remain weak, according to federal forecasters, but the phenomenon still has a say in what kind of weather Hoosiers will see this winter.

The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center issued an advisory Dec. 11 predicting La Niña will remain weak through January, meaning Hoosiers could see more precipitation and snowfall than typical. This latest prediction echoes the advisory the center sent out in November.

The newest advisory notes that subsurface ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean remain below average. Coupled with wind anomalies in the same area, this means conditions are consistent with a La Niña phenomenon.

The center predicts La Niña has a 54% chance of continuing through December, January and February before transitioning to what forecasters call "ENSO-neutral", meaning neither La Niña nor El Niño conditions are present to affect weather.

What is La Niña?

La Niña begins at the central Pacific Ocean’s surface. When the ocean's temperatures cool (which usually happens every three to five years) that affects tropical rainfall, which in turn affects weather patterns around the world, according to the NWS.

These factors then can combine to push the wave-like jet stream above North America farther north into parts of western Canada, causing storms to curve down into the Great Lakes region.

How does La Niña affect Indiana?

As winter storms track down to Indiana, precipitation and snowfall rates can increase due to that La Niña effect. El Nino, La Niña's counterpart, has the opposite effect, making conditions drier than normal.

Climatology records looking back at Indiana’s weather show that during a La Niña event, Indiana typically sees wetter winters, but it’s tougher to predict how this will affect temperatures for the state.

Mike Ryan, meteorologist with NWS in Indianapolis, said the city's upcoming winter temperatures will average out to "near to colder than normal."

Indianapolis may also see a little more than the average of 25 inches of snowfall this winter, Ryan said.

"Precipitation is expected to be near to slightly above normal as well," Ryan said. "We anticipate a colder December with an increasing potential for wintry precipitation throughout the first half of the month."

Indianapolis live weather radar

As the weak La Niña sets Hoosiers up for a wet winter, Indianapolis is expected to see some rain in mid-December, following a weekend of snowfall and freezing temperatures.

NWS forecasters predict increasing temperatures the week of Dec. 15 with highs potentially eventually reaching 50 degrees.

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social or X @karlstartswithk.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Can La Niña affect Indianapolis snowfall this winter? Here's what to know

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