Bowling Green residents have varied opinions on the winter weather, but one thing is certain — in Ohio, it is, and always will be, unpredictable.

So far, the season has exhibited a wide range in temperatures and precipitation, according to climate reports from the National Weather Service. The average temperature in December was 28.6 degrees Fahrenheit, with a high of 52 degrees and a low of 11 degrees.

Gary Garnet, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the NWS, said it’s typical for an Ohio winter to have warm ups and cool downs.

“We get a lot of temperature swings and this year is really no different from that,” Garnet said. “From the New Year on … we’ve gone into a cold streak so things are a little different.”

At a glance, temperatures this week are forecasted to range from highs of 28 to 37 degrees, and expected to drop as low as 16 degrees.

Precipitation in December encompassed 15 days of light snow, six days of light rain and one day of heavy rain. NWS records illustrate the variability of winter weather patterns in snowfall, as well. This year, 82 percent of the Midwest was covered with snow as of Jan. 10. On the same date last year, 26 percent of the Midwest was snow-covered, and only 8.6 percent on Jan. 10, 2008.

Opinions on winter weather trends in Bowling Green are varied. Some residents said this winter has been relatively mild, especially when compared with past winters.

Brian Craft, Bowling Green Public Works Director, has lived in Bowling Green since the late 1980s. He described Ohio winters as consistent in terms of severity. Craft said he thinks Ohio, when compared to the rest of the nation, has somewhat mild winters that are better than some states, and worse than others.

“We’re kind of middle of the road,” he said.

University senior John Cook said this season, so far, is “not really any different than usual.”

Cook recalled his first year at the University as the worst he has encountered in his college experience.

“It was really, really cold and really, really windy,” he said. “There were a few days where they cancelled class.”

Arthur Merrill, 63, has called Bowling Green home since 1977. He said he remembers the ‘Blizzard of 1978’ as the worst winter weather he’s experienced in the area.

The Blizzard hit the Great Lakes in January 1978, trapping residents indoors for days, according to NWS records.

“Picture snow everywhere, the roads are closed with (snow) drifts,” Merrill said.

Lifelong Bowling Green resident Kim Apple, 56, said the ‘Blizzard’ blew four feet of snow into her living room, stranding her at work for 72 hours. After that experience, she said she’s not perturbed by winter storms because she pays attention to weather forecasts and prepares accordingly.

“When they say (winter weather) warning, I listen,” she said.

As for predicting the outcome of the remainder of this winter, Garnet said it’s “too early to tell.”

“It’s an extremely variable season,” he said. “We’re not even a month into winter yet, but there are no significant trends in the atmosphere that would indicate if (snowfall) were going to be above or below normal.”