This article was inspired by my colleague Leslie Morrow at the University of Georgia. She tagged me in a Facebook post asking about El Niño and its potential effects on snow likelihood in Georgia this winter. Leslie loooooooooves snow, and it is a fair question to ask. Let’s dive deeper into the discussion.

I’ll start with a quick refresher on El Niño. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirms that an intensifying El Niño is present. “Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are above average across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean,” according to the NOAA update issued on August 3. “El Niño will strengthen through the end of the year, with a 97% chance it will persist through early spring 2027,” the update went on to say. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, which you should trust more than almanacs and groundhogs, puts the chances of a very strong El Niño in the Fall at 81%.

What happens in the ocean doesn’t stay in the ocean when it comes to El Niño. It affects weather patterns around the world. “The warmer waters cause the Pacific jet stream to move south of its........

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