Strong El Niño pattern means for winter

We have had a La Niña weather trend for the last three winters, which usually implies that the Great Lakes area has colder and wetter weather.

However, it seems that Mother Nature is making an effort to make some changes for the approaching winter.

There is a 71% likelihood that it will be "strong" and a 95% possibility of the opposite setup, known as El Niño.

El Niño happens when the equatorial Pacific Ocean's sea surface temperatures are higher than normal.

This produces a change in the jet stream, which usually means that the southern part of the nation has wetter weather while the Great Lakes have a milder winter.

The expectation for this year is a "strong" El Niño because scientists believe that the unique and abnormal warming trends .

Seldom do we have strong El Niño events. Actually, there have only been seven significant El Niño episodes since 1950.

This year was memorable for a number reasons, including Christmas Eve highs of 59 degrees and January snow totals.

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