Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 19
Michigan Faces Warmer Winter as Strongest El Niño Since 1950 Takes Hold
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 19

Michigan Faces Warmer Winter as Strongest El Niño Since 1950 Takes Hold

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 19

Summary

  • Michigan is headed for a warmer-than-normal winter, with forecasters saying a very strong El Niño is now in place and likely to shape the season.
  • Since 1950, three of the four previous strong El Niño winters in Michigan were considerably warmer than normal; the lone colder case was 1957-58 during a generally colder era.
  • Precipitation in those strong El Niño winters stayed near normal overall, suggesting this season could still bring plenty of mixed winter weather even if temperatures run higher.
  • Forecasters say strong El Niño patterns usually keep deep Arctic air bottled up in northern Canada and steer milder Pacific Northwest flow into the Great Lakes.

Insights

Could a sudden polar vortex collapse override the super El Niño and plunge Michigan into an unexpected deep freeze this winter?
Will Michigan's unusually warm winter forecast trigger a dangerous rise in treacherous freezing rain and ice storms instead of snow?