An intensifying El Niño is expected to keep the big chill at bay across the Northeast — setting the stage for a milder winter season.
Fewer subzero temps are in store for the area than last year due to the abnormal weather pattern caused by the warming of the Pacific Ocean near the equator, according to AccuWeather’s 2015-16 US Winter Forecast.
“We just don’t know exactly yet whether or not we’re going to see the pattern turn cold and snowy,” AccuWeather long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said. “…There is an opportunity that [the weather] could change on us as we get into February and early March.”
After last year brought brutal cold to the northeastern US, this season is set to be milder overall — particularly during the early part of the season — because of one of the strongest El Niños in the last 50 to 60 years.
The anomalous weather system is so large, some experts refer to it as a “Godzilla El Niño.”
February 2015 was the second-coldest February on record for both the region and for eight states, including New York, Pennsylvania and all six New England states.
Overall, heavy rain will be widespread for the South, and more rain on saturated ground will increase the chances for flooding.
Meanwhile, El Niño — Spanish for “little boy” — will wreak havoc in California, driving heavy rain and mountain snow while threatening to unleash flooding and mudslides. The Northwest will experience a rain deficit due to the quirky system.