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El Nio: We have yet to see its full effects

Posted at 10:33 AM, Dec 11, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-11 13:33:07-05

El Niño remains strong and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

That's the latest message from the Climate Prediction Center, the government organization tasked with keeping a close eye on the Pacific waters where El Niño resides.

Three out of the four regions watched saw water levels rise to their highest points yet, while the fourth region remained steady.

Forecasters are still predicting this will be one of the top-three strongest events since 1950 when records began. It'll be in the history books with the likes of 1997 to 1998 and 1982 to 1983.

Weather forecast models are predicting this El Niño will peak this winter before returning to more neutral conditions late in the spring and into the summer.

Forecasters are also saying we haven't yet begun to fully feel its effects.

In the United States, El Niño events are typically associated with warmer, drier, winters in the northern half of the country and cooler, wetter winters in the southern half.

So far, it's been exceptionally warm for everyone and really wet in the Northwest.

But the U.S. doesn't typically feel the repercussions of El Niño until January, February and March.

This means places like the Southwest, the Southern Plains and the Southeast should get ready for a wet start to 2016, and the RadarCast app can send push notifications when the next round of rain is on its way.

Follow Storm Shield Meteorologist Jason Meyersvia the Storm Shield appon Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Download the Storm Shield Weather Radio App for your iPhone or Android device and get severe weather alerts wherever you are. Named by Time.com one of the best weather apps for your iPhone.