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Cold Front Moving Through the Northeast U.S. Monday; Atmospheric River to Impact the Pacific Northwest Midweek

A cold front will cross the Great Lakes and Northeast U.S. through Monday with gusty winds and areas of rain showers. A strong atmospheric river is expected to move into the Pacific Northwest by midweek bringing a threat for moderate to heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and mountain snows for parts of Washington, Oregon, northern California, and the Sierra Nevada. Read More >

The Climate Prediction Center has issued an El Niño Watch. Though conditions are currently neutral, there is a 62% chance of an El Niño developing during the May to July time period. The range of possibilities toward the end of the year includes a 40% chance of a strong El Niño to a 10% chance of no El Niño. 

El Niño is an area of above-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.  Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to become reduced while rainfall increases over the tropical Pacific. The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the equator, instead weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction. These changes over the tropical Pacific can effect atmospheric circulations that then translate through the atmosphere and affect weather patterns far away from the tropics.

For more information on El Niño and La Niña, see our 1-Stop El Niño/La Niña page.