Channel 11 chief meteorologist Stephen Cropper's updated winter weather forecast

PITTSBURGH — Three months in and winter is living up to its name.

We’ve had nearly 25 inches of snow and dealt with sleet, freezing rain and even thunderstorms ---sometimes all in the same day.

While it started out slow, doubts about the season were quickly covered.  The day after Christmas nearly a half foot of snow covered area roads.

Three days later, another steady snowfall pushed monthly snow totals to nearly 14 inches. That' more  than five inches above normal.

January was a roller coaster of weather, with a stretch of below-zero wind chills followed by record warm temperatures and then more snow.

It's enough to give you weather whiplash and there's more to come.

Chief Meteorologist Stephen Cropper said February and March can still deliver a one-two punch in Pittsburgh.

Frequent clipper systems with cold shots of air will continue to stir up lake effect snow. These storms generally bring in 2 to  4 inches of snow in 24 hours.

Cropper said with more than a month and a half of winter left on the calendar, there's plenty of time for a storm to dump 8 to 12 inches.

Cropper is forecasting for above-average snowfall  in February as he expects nearly 14 inches of snow, mostly from quick-moving clippers.

Cropper does warn that we could also see freezing rain and sleet mixed in because of the winter pattern is starting to show an increase in temperatures.

In March, Cropper expects another 7 inches of snow to fall, which is slightly below the monthly average.

Temperatures will also start to warm up as we turn the page to spring.

By April, Cropper forecasts just one inch of snow but with warmer temperatures, it won’t stick around long.

Overall, Cropper said this winter will be colder than normal with above average snowfall.  When it’s all done, Cropper expects to see 46.4 inches of snow this season.

WPXI