Making forecasts for the upcoming winter during the midst of summer involves a certain amount of guesswork. Forecasting the weather that far in advance is far from a precise science. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t make some pretty good guesses about what might happen.
And the guesses that scientists are currently making about next winter are becoming a little bit worrisome. That’s because the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a 90% probability that El Niño will make a big impact upon this winter.
You’ve Heard of El Niño, Right?
El Niño means “the little boy” in Spanish – an interesting name for a phenomenon that can cause such big trouble. It refers simply to a pattern of trade winds blowing across the Pacific Ocean.
When those winds blow in an El Niño pattern, the weather in North America is impacted significantly.
In the United States, the brunt of El Niño’s impact typically occurs during the winter. And the result is usually an increase in precipitation – sometimes a very large increase.
And that’s what scientists think might be in store for us this winter.
You might remember (if you’re old enough!) big winters during 82-83 and 97-98. Those were big El Niño years. So it’s rather attention-getting that some scientists are saying that this winter is stacking up to be an even stronger El Niño winter than those past events.
Not Much We Can Do About It
One thing’s for certain: There’s really not much we can do about it.
If “the little boy” is going to dump lots of snow and rain on our heads, we just have to endure it. We’re a long ways off from having the ability to control the weather – especially when the weather exhibits the quirkiness of a petulant, disgruntled boy.
But while we can’t control the event, we can certainly get ready for it.
That’s what we’re doing at TLC Inc. I’m making sure that our snow removal crews will be at maximum strength for the winter. And that the equipment they’ll be using is in tip-top condition. Because it looks as though TLC’s snow removal crews will certainly be earning their money this year.
You can also make preparations for the arrival of that mischievous little boy by ordering your TLC snow removal insurance policy. That way you’ll be ready, whatever happens.
Because that’s about all we can do: get ready. And hope that “the little boy” decides not to show after all!