Here’s what El Niño could mean for Southern California
After two winters of La Niña, an official “El Niño Watch” is underway, the National Weather Service Climate Protection Center said Thursday. In its latest ENSO Alert System Status report, the Climate Protection Center said there’s a 61% chance that an El Niño is “likely to emerge” between this May and June, and “persist through at least the end of 2026.” The agency’s outlook also notes there’s a 25% chance that the Pacific seasonal variation could develop into a “strong” or “very strong” El Niño this winter. … [I]t’s hard to predict if the emergence of El Niño this year will lead to a wet winter. … [O]ne of California’s worst drought years occurred during an El Niño in 1976-1977, but then the following year, still during an El Niño, the state had more than double its average rainfall with nearly 31 inches of rain.
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