After two consecutive winters that were among the coldest and snowiest in the history of Chicago, everyone in town is praying for a reprieve from the frigid armies of Boreas (the Greek god of the cold north wind, duh). New information about the upcoming El Niño—the warming of the equatorial belt of the Pacific Ocean westward from South America—points to a warmer-than-average winter for the Midwest that could make the words "Polar Vortex" seem like a phrase out of a dead language.
The weather phenomenon occurs every two to seven years, according to meteorologist Tom Skilling, and various outlets are describing this year's as a "Godzilla." Current water temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean are 3 to 5 degrees Celsius above average, which will "release more heat to the atmosphere, causing more rising air and storminess in the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
El Niño doesn't directly affect weather in the U.S., but rather changes the large-scale circulation of the atmosphere. That being said, meteorologists are predicting the warm Pacific waters will bring above normal precipitation to states like California (which desperately needs some precipitation). Further, "El Niños usually bring above normal temperatures, below normal precipitation and less snow than normal to Chicago and the northern United States during the winter," according to Skilling.
So hold off on unloading those winter coats, Chicagoans. We could end up wearing T-shirts in February.