(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — With El Nino now in full swing, the upper air pattern is showing more and more signs of active weather heading into the new year. A friendly reminder that El Nino years typically feature more storm systems developing across the United States and they are often a little bit stronger too.
The Climate Prediction Center is honing in on this theme as well because recent long-range forecasts from them feature above-average precipitation for the month.
As you can see above, there is a lot of green across the country which indicates that multiple storm systems are likely to impact the region. It’s worth reminding everyone that this does not mean that it’s going to rain or snow every single day in January. It just means that Colorado may see above-average amounts of precipitation for this time of year.
What typically happens with an El Nino pattern, is the jet stream drops a little bit further south in response to water temperatures warming up across the Equatorial Pacific. During non-El Nino winters, the jet stream is much further to the north which guides storm systems around Southern Colorado.
Along with the increase in storm system activity, temperatures are usually impacted too. With multiple storm systems, there will typically be multiple pockets of cold air accompanying them. Here is what the current temperature outlook is for the US this month.
The two big areas of impact appear to be the Northeast and much of the desert Southwest. Southern Colorado will also tap into those below-average temperatures. The Northeast, on the other hand, may very well see a slightly warmer January this year.
The impacts of El Nino will likely extend well beyond the first month of the year too. Predictions from the Climate Prediction Center time out the rest of the Winter and early Spring too.
Southern Colorado is once again included with above-average precipitation expected during this time frame. Looking well into the future – severe weather season is often heavily impacted too with more frequent rounds of storm systems and access to moisture.
