El Niño could bring another mild winter to Northeast Ohio

If you thought this past winter in Northeast Ohio was mild, the next go-round could be even warmer and drier.

Driving the news: The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) last week reported a greater likelihood of an El Niño event forming in the Pacific Ocean this summer.

The big picture: El Niño is a weather pattern that typically brings cold, wet winters to the Southern U.S. while producing drier and warmer winters in the Pacific Northwest, Ohio Valley and Midwest.

Zoom in: El Niño usually produces warm winters in Northeast Ohio, according to NOAA.

• The last time the area saw a strong El Niño was the winter of 2015-16, which saw snowfall of less than 33 inches, well below Cleveland's average of 64 inches.

By the numbers: The odds of El Niño forming through July and lasting into the Northern Hemisphere winter are now at 82%, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.

The bottom line: Northeast Ohio is likely to experience a historically mild winter for the second consecutive year.