INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The lack of snow in the Midwest and the Ohio River Valley has been the main story of winter.

Most of Indiana and locations nearby have significant snow deficits.

Only 4.2 inches have fallen in Indianapolis. Typical lake-effect areas — South Bend, Indiana, and Cleveland — each have a snow deficit of over 20 inches.

The only strip of above-average snowfall is in western Illinois and eastern Iowa, where multiple strong storms went through in January.

A lot of the lack of snow in the Midwest can be attributed to the El Niño pattern. Some of the lowest winter snowfalls have come in El Niño years.

Historically, Indianapolis on average records its highest snow totals in the months of December and January. February follows in a close third.

Surprising places with more snow than Indianapolis

While the fall and winter have been a dud compared to normal in Indianapolis, other areas have overachieved.

Nashville, Tennessee, has recorded 7.6 inches of snow since Oct. 1. That’s over 3 inches more than Indy despite being about 250 miles farther south.

Northern Arkansas even had one snowstorm that brought areas about 7 inches of snow.

Not many people think of New Mexico when it comes to snowfall. However, Albuquerque has actually recorded snowfall pretty close to normal since Oct. 1. They have a seasonal total of 6.1 inches.

It remains to be seen how much Indiana can dig into its snow deficit before the end of winter.

Check to see if Indiana has snow in our forecast by visiting the Storm Track 8 weather blog.