Things are going to look a little different this winter, thanks to a powerful El Niño. Photo: AccuWeather
This year’s El Niño has been making waves, to say the least. It is historically massive. It will have major effects on the planet. From droughts to floods and too much snow to too little, we’re in for a hell of a season. A new forecast map shows which states are most likely to see the biggest changes in snowfall this winter. The map was created by AccuWeather.
“A potentially record-shattering El Niño is expected to be the dominant force shaping the 2026-2027 winter, influencing where storms track, where snow piles up and which areas experience more warm spells than Arctic blasts,” wrote AccuWeather.
“This has the potential to be the strongest El Niño on record,” AccuWeather Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said. Pastelok is almost certain this event will surpass the powerful El Niño events of 1982-83 and 1997-98.
In the winter months, El Niño is strengthened. What generally happens is that the Pacific from California down through the Gulf Coast sees far more precipitation. In the north, however, those Arctic blasts of freezing air are dampened, so those areas see warmer-than-usual conditions, which can mean less snow. It’s all very complicated, though, so homing in on what will happen exactly is nearly impossible.
“The El Niño-fueled pattern can fluctuate throughout the season as other factors come into play,” AccuWeather wrote. “These influences can temporarily reshape storm tracks and lead to shifts in snowfall and temperatures, including occasional cold snaps in areas otherwise predicted to have a warmer winter.”
This year is predicted to be the polar opposite of last year, with the areas that missed heavy snowfall seeing the brunt of it.
“The snow season is expected to get off to an early start from the Sierra Nevada through the Great Basin and into the central and southern Rockies, a boon for ski resorts following a poor season last winter,” AccuWeather continued. “A shift in the storm track will also bring opportunities for snow across the Plains in January and February, making up for infrequent snowfall during the first part of winter.”
As mentioned, though, there’s a lot of room for error.
“While we are forecasting below-average snow, it only takes one storm to flip the script, especially for the East Coast cities,” Pastelok warned. “So that is something we have to watch, especially as we get into late January and February.”
In California, it’s very likely that atmospheric rivers will inundate the area, brining flooding to the Golden State and plenty of snow at higher elevations.
