As El Niño continues to strengthen, data is increasingly points to a clear pattern this upcoming snow season: a wet winter for California, and a warm winter for the Pacific Northwest. … With models projecting an inch or three or extra snowfall for the first month of 2027, a below-average snow year is looking increasingly unlikely. … There are, of course, a few caveats. First, this is only modeled snowfall, not standing snowpack. Warmer temperatures brought on by El Niño’s extra heat could work to melt additional snowfall even at higher elevations. Indeed, both the climate prediction center’s new seasonal outlook and our suite of climate models point to warmer-than-average temperatures across Northern California this winter.

Other El Niño news:

• NBC9 (Denver, Colo.): Meteorological fall begins: How El Niño could impact Colorado this winter
• San Francisco Chronicle: El Niño-driven wave to raise California sea levels by a foot — in weeks
• SFGate: With rumors of a hurricane in California, here’s what to expect
• Los Angeles Times: Could a hurricane send floods to Southern California for Labor Day weekend?
• NBC Los Angeles: County, emergency officials brace for possibly strong El Niño season