Super El Niño could bring wetter winter to Northwest
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A potential super El Niño this winter could bring a cooler, wetter season to the Pacific Northwest, contrary to the region's typical warm and dry El Niño pattern.
Why it matters: The counterintuitive forecast could ease drought conditions after a historically poor snowpack.
Driving the news: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said earlier this month that there was a 63% chance of a "very strong" El Niño developing.
What they're saying: "The very strong ones don't follow the typical rule of thumb," Oregon state climatologist Larry O'Neill told the Oregon Capital Chronicle.
- O'Neill noted that the three super El Niños since 1980 have all been marked by above-average rain and mountain snow.
Between the lines: More than half of Oregon's 36 counties have already declared drought emergencies after a winter that left the state's snowpack at record lows.
- The snow drought has sparked concern among experts on the impact on endangered fish, agriculture and the potential for large wildfires.
Yes, but: O'Neill noted that the effects of El Niños and La Niñas have become increasingly hard to predict in a warming climate.
- "In the last couple years, the La Niñas haven't really been acting like they usually did," he said, noting last winter was supposed to be snowy and cold but was instead the opposite.