Climate Prediction Center: Chance Of El Niño Returning Next Winter
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – It's not time to go purchase that canoe just yet, but climate predictors are hinting that next winter will be another wet one.
The Climate Prediction Center in Maryland is sharing its latest data that indicates there's a 50 to 55 percent chance of a wet El Niño season developing in the fall.
Bay Area forecaster Jan Null with Golden Gate Weather Services said it's not time to panic.
"So now we're looking at a forecast of a forecast. That far out, there really isn't much to say," Null told KCBS.
Null said it's just too early. Also, this enormously wet winter that we've just experienced was a La Niña not an El Niño.
"It's usually about the May or June forecast before we start having a good handle on what the oceans are going to be doing next year," Null said.
El Niño versus La Niña relates to ocean temperatures and what they tend to bring in terms of precipitation.
Parts of California have seen record rainfall this season, and it's not over yet.