Current outlook
El Niño winter 2026–27
What NOAA says now, how long El Niño is favored and what the current U.S. seasonal pattern suggests.
Read the 2026–27 outlook →El Niño 2026–27 guides
Understand the signal before you plan around it.
Source-first guides that separate ENSO strength, seasonal precipitation, temperature and snow.
Strength
What “very strong” means
Understand CPC's RONI strength categories and why a stronger El Niño still does not guarantee stronger local impacts.
Read the strength guide →Snow
El Niño and snowfall
Why wetter does not automatically mean snowier, and which U.S. regions historically tilt higher or lower.
Read the snow guide →Ski planning
Ski season 2026–27
Use elevation, temperature and precipitation together instead of treating El Niño as a one-word ski forecast.
Read the ski guide →Forecast literacy
How to read a NOAA seasonal outlook
What the probabilities, categories and “equal chances” label actually mean—and what they do not.
Read the guide →Need a local answer? Use the city + state / ZIP checker to see temperature, precipitation and snow as separate signals.