El Nino 2018-2019? An Overview of What It Might Mean for Arizona

Abstract

El Niño conditions are developing in the tropical Pacific Ocean and current forecasts show that a weak or moderate event is very possible this winter and spring1,2. Were a weak or moderate event to happen, what might this mean for Arizona? Will it be cooler than usual? Will rain and snow amounts be greater? Will there be relevant related hazards or favorable circumstances? In this Extension Climate Fact Sheet about the potential 2018-2019 El Niño event, we start to answer such questions by providing an overview of this phenomenon and how it possibly will influence weather across the state during the coming months.