With the hottest temperatures of the year now hitting much of Iowa, it may seem hard to believe that winter will be here in just a few short months.

So what effect does the current heat wave have on our upcoming cold weather season?  Not necessarily much, but State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says weather patterns may give us an indication of what to expect later this year.

“Going through the fall, Iowa has often been on the wetter and cooler weather side when El Nino is around.  If that happens this time it could mean a more difficult harvest getting things dried and harvested with the cool and wetter weather.  And often times you see a lot of winter like weather in the fall months, unusual amounts of snow during say October and November” says Hillaker.

So while that may sound like bad news to some, Hillaker says things could change come winter.

“December, January, February often go on the milder side when El Nino is around so it means different things in different times of the year.  So cool, wet would be the best bet for the fall months but then warmer for the winter months and typically maybe not quite as wet either.”

We’ll have more with Hillaker on Let’s Talk Dallas County later this week.