(Des Moines) State Climatologist Justin Glisan says there is a 30-percent chance we could experience an El Nino monster this winter. He says the warmer the waters in the Pacific Ocean, the stronger the El Nino.
Glisan says the atmosphere responds to those water temperatures by producing large-scale thunderstorms that impact where the jet streamlines over the United States during the winter. He says 2016 was the last time we experienced a monster El Nino.
Dr. Glisan says precipitation is more of a mixed bag. He says we have seen wet winters and we have had dry winters.
El Niño is accompanied by high air pressure in the western Pacific and low air pressure in the eastern Pacific. El Niño phases are known to last close to four years; however, records demonstrate that the cycles have lasted between two and seven years. During the development of El Niño, rainfall develops between September–November.
