We received great news from NOAA today.  Ocean models are forecasting the possible development of an El Niño pattern by late this summer, prompting the Climate Prediction Center to issue an  El Niño Watch  (See the technical details in the blog post below).

This means that the surface water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are expected to warm above normal this summer, which in turn, often results in a wetter than average weather pattern for our area in the months that follow.  It is the opposite of the La Niña, which has been blamed for our recent drought conditions.

This graphic shows the typical impacts of an El Niño versus a La Niña pattern: