The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Climate Prediction Center has issued an El Nino Advisory, indicating the climate pattern has taken effect and is likely to continue through the spring. While this El Nino is expected to be weak, it may bring wetter conditions across the southern half of the U.S. during the coming months. El Nino is a natural, ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean near the equator. Typical El Nino patterns during winter and early spring include below-average precipitation and warmer-than-average temperatures along the northern tier of the U.S., and above-normal precipitation and cooler conditions across the South. While impacts vary during each El Nino event, NOAA regularly provides temperature and precipitation outlooks for the seasons ahead. Read the announcement at NOAA.