El Nino Looms Large Over U.S. Winter Outlook, Bringing Warmer North, Wetter South and East

NOAA's U.S. Winter Outlook, released on October 15, 2026, forecasts warmer-than-average temperatures across the northern U.S. and wetter-than-average conditions across the southern U.S., from California to Florida, and along the Eastern Seaboard, influenced by El Nino. Drought conditions are expected to improve or end in the Southwest, Southern Great Plains, Southeast, and parts of the East Coast, while developing or worsening in parts of the northern Rockies.