As students might have noticed while walking to class the past few days, winter weather has arrived in Champaign-Urbana.

There is no way to scientifically predict whether this winter will be mild or severe, said Ed Kieser, chief meteorologist for WILL.

"Right now I don't see anything that tilts the odds one way or another," Kieser said.

The El Niņo phenomenon is the only indicator associated with milder winter temperatures, said Bob Rauber, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University. Other than that, it is difficult to predict weather much more than 10 days in advance, he said.

Kieser said there is no strong El Niņo this year.

"In a typical winter here, we have a wide variety of weather," he said. "There undoubtedly will be some cold periods and some snowy periods."

Kieser said he would not be surprised if the area saw some colder temperatures and a little more snow than usual because of the many mild winters in the last decade, but noted there is no scientific evidence to back this up.

The average coldest month is January, with an average high temperature of 32 degrees and a low of 16 degrees, Kieser said.

"Temperatures tend to bottom out in the second week of January," he said.

The area usually receives the most snowfall in January, averaging 8.6 inches, he said. The total average snowfall each year is 26.2 inches.

But he said because some winters have a great deal of snow and others have very little, the actual amount of snowfall is rarely close to the average.

"It seems like we get one big snow month a year," Kieser said. Oftentimes, the area gets a decent amount of snowfall during only one month a year, he said.

Last year, that month was February, during which there was 10.4 inches of snowfall, he said.

Although it might have seemed as though it snowed more than usual last winter, the snowfall was only slightly above average at 27.6 inches, Kieser said.

One thing Kieser can say is the winter might start out cold and wet, as snow is suspected during the next couple of days.

People should prepare for the winter weather that lies ahead and check the weather forecast each day, paying close attention to the wind chill, he said.

He also warned that on country roads, a small amount of snow mixed with wind can cause problems.

"It doesn't take a lot to make for some nasty periods," he said.

Those who have to get up every day and face the weather in order to get to class or work are probably hoping for a mild winter, but the Champaign Public Works Department is prepared for any kind of winter weather.

The Champaign Public Works Department has been preparing to deal with any hazardous road conditions caused by winter weather since November, according to Kyle Schneider, street supervisor. The department holds a snow and ice training day each year to prepare for winter.

They keep trucks ready for snow and ice removal at all times during the winter months to deal with any weather as it occurs, he said.

"We contract a service that contacts us with up-to-date weather forecasts," Schneider said.

Trucks were already out salting the roads last Friday when there was some rain mixed with light snow, he said.