El Niño expected to bring normal to above-normal precipitation in Southern Colorado this Winter

We've all heard about El Niño and the setup that usually brings a good amount of rain and snow to southern Colorado. The forecast for this winter calls for the biggest El Niño ever, and things are falling into place to support that.

Looking back at weather records from 1982-83, 1997-1998, and 2015-2016, we saw similar setups with El Niño here in Colorado. In each of those cases, we saw a normal to above-normal precipitation season.

It usually indicates a wet Fall, and that's exactly what we have seen so far.

On average, Oct. 27 is when we typically see our first snowfall here in Colorado Springs, so we're entering that window of wintry precipitation.

Looking at the long-range forecast, we're expecting a wet period heading into November.

"I think we will have a good Winter over the Plains with above-normal precipitation, again that is what has suggested in the past years since the 1980s," said Klint Skelly, a Warning Coordinator Meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Pueblo, Colorado.

"The Plains have had above-normal precipitation, and even the Eastern mountains, but we, of there, like near the Continental Divide, expect below-normal precipitation in Central Colorado," Skelly added.

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