(Rainy Window - KIWA Staff Photo)Iowa (RI) — Iowa could be headed for a warmer and wetter winter, according to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, who says ocean temperatures in the Pacific indicate a very strong El Niño pattern is developing.
Glisan says sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific are nearing levels associated with some of the strongest El Niño events on record.
Glisan says previous El Niño winters in Iowa have generally brought above-normal temperatures and increased precipitation.
If the pattern holds, Iowa could see more rain and less snow this winter, reducing the chances of a traditional white Christmas.
According to the National Weather Service, Des Moines has had at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day in 40 of the past 83 years.
