Kern County could see a more active weather pattern this winter as El Niño continues to develop, though forecasters caution that the pattern does not guarantee a wet season.
Chief Meteorologist Ilya Neyman said El Niño begins with warmer-than-normal water in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. While that warming takes place thousands of miles away, it can still influence the position of storm tracks and the kind of weather California sees during the winter.
“Well, El Niño means the warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean west of South America, and that’s many thousands of miles away, but that can have an effect on Kern County in the form of changing the storm tracks and potentially leading to more active and more stormy weather during the winter season,” Neyman said.
Past El Niño winters have not all looked the same. Neyman said some strong events have brought periods of heavy rain and flooding to parts of California, while others have produced far less significant impacts…