The coming “Super” El Niño is poised to affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide as it strengthens through the year into the winter season. It may also alter ecosystems for decades to come, judging from the repercussions of past intense El Niños. … However, El Niño does not instigate individual weather systems so much as dial up or down the odds for particular conditions to prevail at a certain time of the year. … In the US, for example, El Niño’s influence tends to peak during the winter months, with weaker correlations with weather patterns at other times of the year. And during the winter, El Niño’s role is to put its thumb on the scale and raise the odds of repeated atmospheric river events affecting California and wetter-than-average conditions across the southern tier of the US.

Other El Niño news:

• The Weather Channel: Video: Southwestern monsoon season and how El Niño could enhance it
• The New York Times: A powerful El Niño is forming. If history is a guide, it could hit hard.