An actual snowfall forecast would account for a variety of atmospheric and climatological factors, not just El Niño. There’s just one caveat: these maps are historical guidebooks, not forecasts, for how the season’s snow could play out. They show where snow is more or less likely during El Niño winters compared to average. Read More: Forecasters predict a classic El Niño winter this year And when it does snow, amounts can vary wildly from one location to the next. However, wetter weather doesn’t necessarily mean more snow. And that’s exactly what’s expected this winter. While no two El Niño winters are the same, the pattern typically brings wetter and cooler weather to the southern US while the north becomes drier and warmer. As the US gears up for a winter heavily influenced by the first strong El Niño in years, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have released maps that offer insight into where snow could pile up.Įl Niño – a natural ocean and weather pattern in the tropical Pacific – is forecast to reach the most significant level since a very strong El Niño in 2015-2016 fostered the warmest winter on record across the contiguous US, according to NOAA.

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