NORTH AMERICA - El Niño has arrived. As warmer-than-average temperatures in the tropical Pacific sea have developed over the past month, El Niño conditions have developed as well, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they are expected to continue into the winter.

As the organization reported in a blog post, the odds of El Niño becoming a strong event at its peak are sitting at 56 percent, and the chances of at least a moderate event are about 84 percent.

El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño-La Niña climate pattern and changes global atmospheric circulation in known ways, giving researchers an idea of potential upcoming weather and climate patterns. The stronger the phase, the more likely global temperature, rain, and other patterns are to reflect the expected El Niño impacts.

What could this mean for the industry? In an El Niño winter, an extended North Pacific jet stream tends to bring more storms across the southern tier of the United States and warmer air to the northern half of North America. This could mean wetter, snowier conditions later in the year.

To read more about these El Niño conditions, click here.

Stay updated by reading AndNowUKnow.