El Niño in the US: Will this be a warm winter?
The US is not likely to experience a white Christmas as weather forecasters are anticipating an unusually warm beginning to the season of winter.
If you’re looking forward to making snow angels during the holidays, you might be in for a disappointment. The El Niño weather pattern is expected to affect a large part of the United States, which means that winter will likely be off to a warm start.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, most of the country will be experiencing higher than normal temperatures until December due to El Niño.
What is El Niño?
El Niño is a weather phenomenon characterized by the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It is one phase of the larger El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern, with the other phase being La Niña, which is characterized by cooler sea surface temperatures in the same region.
El Niño events typically occur irregularly every two to seven years, and they can have significant impacts on global weather patterns.
READ ALSO: This will be the trajectory of Hurricane Norma
How will El Niño affect the United States?
El Niño, like La Niña, usually reaches its peak in the winter season. El Niño events are often associated with milder and warmer winters in the northern parts of the United States. This can result in reduced heating costs and less snowfall in some regions.
Meanwhile, in southern parts of the country including the states of California, Arizona, and Texas, El Niño can bring wetter conditions. This increased precipitation can lead to heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides.
READ ALSO: Tickets go on sale today for Texas total solar eclipse festival
An El Niño winter is also linked to a higher risk of severe storms and flooding in various parts of the United States, particularly in the western and southern states. This can result in property damage, infrastructure disruptions, and public safety concerns.
One upside of this weather event is that it reduces the risk of Atlantic hurricanes. El Niño tends to decrease the number and intensity of hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. This is because El Niño is associated with changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions that inhibit the development of hurricanes.