El Niño stalled, but cool, wet Texas winter predicted

Although predictions favor a weak El Niño to develop over the next couple months, forecasters say there’s a good chance for a wet, cool winter.

El Niño refers to warmer-than-average ocean water temperatures off the Pacific coast of South America, said Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist. A moderate to strong El Niño usually means more moisture to parts of the Southwest and Southeast during the late fall and winter. El Niño translates as “The Boy Child,” because it usually peaks about the time of Christmas, according to AgriLife Today.

Nielsen-Gammon said it doesn’t really matter whether the official El Niño criteria of “warm enough for long enough” are met. It will still somewhat affect Texas weather.

Predictions of more cloudy, rainy Texas weather, “which many people might find annoying,” will be good for agricultural production and bring some relief to the drier parts of the state, Nielsen-Gammon said.