Winter Forecast Offers Hope for Drought-Stricken West

National meteorologists anticipating one of the strongest El Niños on record are forecasting a wet winter for the southern tier of the U.S., USA Today reported, while drier-than-average conditions are likely in the northern Rockies, northern Plains, and in the Great Lakes.

The season’s forecast includes rain and snow in California, where the need is critical, and wet, cool weather for most of the southern United States.

El Niño is a natural warming of Pacific Ocean water that affects weather patterns around the world.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects the pattern to dramatically influence precipitation and temperatures this winter.

“A strong El Niño is in place and should exert a strong influence over our weather this winter,” Mike Halpert, Deputy Director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said in a statement. Halpert called this El Niño one of the strongest on record.

While the forecast for the California winter is encouraging, Halpert said it is not enough to replenish the state’s land.

“While it is good news that drought improvement is predicted for California, one season of above-average rain and snow is unlikely to remove four years of drought,” he said.

California would need almost twice its normal rainfall to get out of drought, Halpert said.

USA Today also reported that the Great Lakes region will get less lake-effect snow than usual, according to AccuWeather, and the western and northern United States should see milder-than-average temperatures, because weather patterns should keep away the worst of the extended cold outbreaks. Occasional chilly air masses are still likely across the northern tier. S