Strong El Niño pattern signals cooler, wetter winter ahead across north Georgia
Winter 2023 may be one of Georgia's coldest
After a series of relatively mild winters across north Georgia, forecasters say the season to come may turn that calm trend upside down. FOX 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Jonathan Stacey explains why this winter could be one the coolest and wettest we've experienced in more than a decade.
After a series of relatively mild winters across north Georgia, forecasters say this season to come will turn the calm climatological trend upside down.
EL NIÑO VS. LA NIÑA: HOW CLIMATE PATTERNS AFFECT OUR WEATHER
According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, this year’s El Niño event has a chance of becoming historically strong.
An El Niño pattern typically produces colder and wetter conditions across the Southeastern United States.
Forecasters give a 75% to 85% chance that El Niño will be "strong" from November to January. That means average sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific will be at or above 1.5 degrees Celsius for three months. The 30% chance of a "historically strong" El Niño means that sea surface temperatures will be at least 2 degrees Celsius warmer over the season.
In North Georgia, there are early indications that during January and February we could experience colder than average temperatures along with abnormally wet conditions due to the proximity of the subtropical jet stream along the Gulf Coast.
Seasonal outlooks are not used for forecasting specific events, but with consistently colder temperatures and ample moisture in the region - there’s an increased snow potential locally in comparison to years when El Niño is weaker or even non-existent.