BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) As summer winds down, weather experts are watching the Pacific, warning there’s a strong possibility California could be headed for an El Niño winter, a weather pattern that begins thousands of miles away but can bring major impacts closer to home.
Eyewitness News Forecaster Aaron Perlman said El Niño “really starts out in South America where you get these trade winds that head west. Moisture from the water is very warm and it builds towards the US overtime.”
El Niño events usually occur every two to seven years. Experts say that from October to January in Bakersfield, the region could see up to 10 to 12 inches of rain this year.
Kern County farmers ready fields and ditches as El Niño winter threat grows (KBAK/KBFX)
Perlman pointed to recent conditions in Southern California as a sign of what may be ahead.
“Los Angeles has seen rainfall the last three straight days. Unusual in September,” he said.
“They’ve had some of the craziest amount of high due point levels and moisture for the area. And this is a sign that El Nino this year is going to be massive.”
In the Central Valley, a wetter-than-usual winter could bring challenges for agriculture, including flooding and muddy fields that can complicate planting and fieldwork. But fourth-generation Kern County farmer Jason Giannelli said local growers are preparing.
Kern County farmers ready fields and ditches as El Niño winter threat grows (KBAK/KBFX)
“I mean obviously it would flood and trying to get our winter crops in would be challenging. But are we going to complain about it? No. In farming that’s what we deal with in nature. We deal with the elements, and we just got to work around it,” Giannelli said.
Giannelli said farmers use practical techniques to reduce damage when storms hit.
“All we can do is protect the outer banks, the outer areas of our ranches and clean. Dredge all of our ditches and make sure that everything is prepared,” he said.
Even with the risks that come with heavy rain, Giannelli said severe weather is part of the job.
Kern County farmers ready fields and ditches as El Niño winter threat grows (KBAK/KBFX)
“Our family has been here for a long time and its just something that we have to deal with. I mean you just strap your boots up and just do what you got to do the next day,” he said.