U.S. braces for 'drastically different' winter due to El Niño: What to expect

El Niño is expected to make this coming winter "drastically different" from previous seasons, according to CNN meteorologist Mary Gilbert.

The phenomenon comes from water temperature changes in the equatorial Pacific Ocean – which dramatically affect weather patterns around the globe, Gilbert explained.

Right now, temperatures have been warmer than normal for quite a while – meaning the El Niño is in full effect.

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One characteristic of an El Niño winter is wetter and colder weather in the south while drier and warmer weather comes to the north – good for states like Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi which have been plagued by drought recently.

But portions of the Midwest, which have been dealing with extreme and exceptional levels of drought, will likely suffer.

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Storms that bring snow and ice could be a possibility, but in the past El Niño brought one of the warmest winters on record in 2015-2016 – even though the warm winter didn't prevent massive snow storms, including a blizzard that crippled the East Coast.

Read more at CNN.