The developing El Niño will be good for California and the American Southwest, which despite deluges of rain recently still needs more water. A powerful El Niño might well get Lake Powell and Mead back to mostly normal levels. And Lake Powell is already getting close!
Elsewhere, El Niño will raise temperatures. Australia in particular will get clobbered by more drought as well as by very high temperatures. The hurricane season on the US east coast will probably be milder.
“The vast majority [of forecasts] are assuming that we’re going to have a big El Niño this winter,” said Amaya. “I think we’re definitely expecting to break global temperature records this year.”
We’ve had La Nina for three years in a row, an unusual event. This presages a strong El Niño because warm ocean water stored by La Nina will now be surfacing in the east Pacific. And that will have worldwide climate ramifications.