{"id":408900,"date":"2026-09-24T03:10:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T03:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/408900\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T03:10:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T03:10:29","slug":"strengthening-el-nino-may-help-tip-south-florida-toward-a-wetter-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/408900\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening El Ni\u00f1o may help tip South Florida toward a wetter winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

West Palm Beach, Fla. (WPEC) \u2014 A strengthening El Ni\u00f1o is already influencing weather patterns across the tropics, and it could have a meaningful\u2014though not guaranteed\u2014effect on South Florida\u2019s winter weather.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This strong El Ni\u00f1o event shows signals of a wetter winter in Florida. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

NOAA\u2019s Climate Prediction Center says El Ni\u00f1o has strengthened further during the past month, with more than a 90% chance that it becomes a very strong event during the fall and winter of 2026-27.<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o occurs when water temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific run warmer than average. <\/p>\n

That warmth can shift weather patterns well beyond the Pacific, including the jet stream and upper-level winds across North America and the Atlantic basin.<\/p>\n

A quieter Atlantic, a busy Pacific<\/p>\n

One possible El Ni\u00f1o influence has already shown up in the Atlantic hurricane season. <\/p>\n

Stronger upper-level winds can create wind shear, which makes it harder for tropical systems to organize and strengthen. <\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This warmer water in the Pacific creates strong wind shear in the Atlantic, as well as cooler waters to balance out. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

That does not stop every storm, but it can be one ingredient behind an unusually quiet Atlantic season.<\/p>\n

The Pacific tells a different story. <\/p>\n

Warm Pacific waters and a more favorable environment have supported repeated development this season, including powerful Hurricane Polo and several other named systems. <\/p>\n

\"Warmer<\/p>\n

Warmer waters are present in the eastern Pacific from El Ni\u00f1o. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o is not the only factor controlling any individual storm, but it can help create a broader pattern that is less favorable for Atlantic hurricanes and more supportive of eastern Pacific activity.<\/p>\n

\"Cooler<\/p>\n

Cooler waters and more wind shear have lead to less activity in the Atlantic so far this hurricane season. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

\"El<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o is the reason why the Pacific continues to rapidly outpace the Atlantic this hurricane season in both frequency and intensity of storms. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

What it could mean for South Florida this winter<\/p>\n

For the Palm Beaches, Treasure Coast and the rest of South Florida, the biggest El Ni\u00f1o-related signal is typically rainfall.<\/p>\n

NOAA\u2019s winter outlook favors above-normal precipitation across much of Florida. <\/p>\n

That does not mean it will rain every day, nor does it guarantee frequent flooding. <\/p>\n

Instead, it means the three-month winter period has a better-than-normal chance of ending up wetter than average.<\/p>\n

In practical terms, that can mean more passing fronts, more cloud cover at times, and a greater chance for periods of rain compared to a typical dry-season pattern.<\/p>\n

Some fronts may still arrive with cooler, drier air behind them, but the overall setup can be more active and less consistently dry.<\/p>\n

Temperatures are less certain. <\/p>\n

South Florida can still see warm stretches during an El Ni\u00f1o winter, especially between fronts. <\/p>\n

The more reliable takeaway right now is simply this: a strengthening El Ni\u00f1o increases the odds that this winter features more rain than usual.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"West Palm Beach, Fla. (WPEC) \u2014 A strengthening El Ni\u00f1o is already influencing weather patterns across the tropics,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-408900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}