How cold is it going to get this winter?

If you haven’t quite shaken the memory of last year’s polar vortex, you’ll be happy to hear meteorologists don’t think it will be quite so bad this winter. Accuweather senior meteorologist Bob Smerbeck says what made last year so noteworthy was the persistence of frigid temperatures—something we likely won’t see this year.

“Last year when the cold came in, it just kept coming in—it was relentless,” said Smerbeck. “We think this winter, we are going to have shots of arctic air, but they’re just going to come and settle for a while and then leave.”

Also in Accuweather’s extended winter forecast: higher than average precipitation. In the central and western part of the state, that means more snow than usual.

And, if you can look that far ahead–it might be a shorter winter. Accuweather predicts a milder-than-average March for the whole state.