How much snow would have piled up Monday if it were colder?

Be thankful it’s still October — and warm.

That storm system that moved across the Kansas City area forcing the postponement of the Royals-Orioles ALCS game Monday had the same form and track of a major winter storm. And if it were January, Kansas Citians would still be digging out.

The National Weather Service in Kansas City sent out this tweet on Tuesday:

If Monday’s storm had hit when it was 25 degrees colder, Kansas City would have seen snowfall totals reach 18 inches. As much as 17 inches would have fallen in St. Joseph and 19 inches in Leavenworth.

Meanwhile, Harrisonville would have had 31 inches of snow. Other hard-hit areas would have been Clinton with 22 inches and Sedalia with 25 inches.

So was Monday’s storm a precursor of a bad winter?

Hard to say.

The National Weather Service in Kansas City posted this to its Facebook page Monday evening:

“The National Weather Service still expects a weak El Nino to develop this winter, a feature that has significant influence on many parts of the country but not so much around here.”

Kansas City winters during weak El Nino events ranged from cold and snowy to warm and dry.

“So while the south is looking at a wet and cool winter, and our friends to the north are looking warmer and drier, we are stuck in that in-between zone where a wide range of outcomes is possible this coming winter.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2014 at 2:49 PM with the headline "How much snow would have piled up Monday if it were colder?."