
Winter is beginning to look a lot like summer. Photo: Ullstein Bild via Getty Images
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.

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