BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Weather experts say central and western North Dakota will have a snowier winter than last year, though accumulation totals won’t be that hard to beat.

According to the National Weather Service, Bismarck had 16.7 inches of snow last winter when the norm is 50.5 inches.

“Even if we have a kind of normal snow season this year, it’ll probably feel relatively harsh compared to last year,” said Corey King, emergency response specialist at the NWS in Bismarck.

The lack of snow last winter means some people might not be prepared as snow begins to pile up this season, said meteorologist Megan Jones, climate program leader in Bismarck.

“You especially want to be paying attention for that first winter storm,” she said. “You just want to be prepared for what that could bring, since we haven’t had to deal with it in a while.”

Winter outlooks from the National Weather Service, AccuWeather and The Old Farmer’s Almanac expect it to be colder than normal in the Northern Plains.

“If you live in the Northern Plains and Great Lakes, I think you really have to pay attention to the cold shots that come down,” AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok said, referring to arctic air blasting down from Canada.

A weather phenomenon known as La Nina is expected to result in the jet stream dipping down into the central United States. La Nina is a cooling of the waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean that influences weather.