By admin 
South Carolinians might want to brace for unusual weather by the end of this year.
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A potentially historic El Niño event may occur as we approach winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center.
The agency said that there’s a greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño event during the fall and winter in the U.S. If you’ve noticed that there hasn’t been as much tropical activity affecting the East Coast as much this summer, it’s likely thanks to this year’s El Niño, which officially formed earlier in June.
The climate event can have both positive and negative impacts on the weather, especially in the fall and winter. Here’s what to know about El Niño and what to expect in the next several months:
What is El Niño?
El Niño, which means “Little Boy” in Spanish, is a natural climate event that typically occurs every two to seven years. It’s characterized by warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, which disrupts normal winds and pushes warm water eastward toward the west coast of the Americas.
If the conditions are intense, some scientists refer to the weather pattern as a ‘super’ El Niño, often when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean rise to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above average for several months. They’re the same as a standard El Niño, but are much rarer, and they have a stronger impact on the weather.
This El Niño has already grown quite strong, strengthening in the past month. During the summer, stormier weather is more likely to occur in the South, which would explain the past several weeks of thunderstorms and flash flooding across SC.
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How will it impact SC weather in the winter?
El Niño has little impact on temperatures during the summer, but it can start having a noticeable effect by the end of the year.
Because of the stronger influence of the subtropical jet stream in the South, the Gulf Coast generally sees cooler and wetter conditions, according to the National Weather Service.
It would affect the Palmetto State’s coastal areas more. SC is facing a drought, even after weeks of consistent rainfall, so more rain is needed. However, too much rain in a short period of time can lead to flash flooding.
Cooler and wetter weather may sound like the perfect conditions for snow, but it will still likely be too warm for any snowstorms to form in South Carolina.
After months of above-average temperatures, any cooler weather in SC would be greatly appreciated.
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