What does the El Nino Alerts mean?

If We Could Predict the Weather...

...we'd be on TV. But what we can do is tell you what to expect given the unpredictability of El Niño in general and this year's season in particular.

Based on expert research (from NOAA and the World Meteorological Organization) and past El Niño seasons, this year may very well bring:

• Stronger storms and heavier rainfall in the southern U.S. from California to the Carolinas and up the East Coast.
• Drier weather in parts of the Ohio Valley, the Great Lakes region, the Northwest and the Northern Rockies.
• Cooler than average temperatures in the desert Southwest, southern Plains and northern Gulf Coast.
• Warmer than average temperatures in the northern tier of states from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern Plains, Great Lakes and Northeast.