Wet Winter??

Every year we head into winter wonder how much it is going to rain. And every year the National Weather service tries to predict this. Bottomline is: we need to conserve water and get a couple years in a row of high quantity rainfall. Our rainfall season is short compare to other parts of the country. Our most desired scenerio would start with a rain storm in the early fall, then a final rainstorm in May with wet and dry periods through out the entire winter. Well so far that is not the prediction, but the weather forecasters have been wrong before. The following text was from a newsletter that I subscribe to :
The US National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center recently posted their ENSO forecast (El Nino/Southern Oscillation) for the next quarter. Based upon the water temperature of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, in combination with weather patterns in that region, meteorologists have declared an "ENSO neutral" condition. With some exceptions, this is good news for almost everyone.
During an ENSO neutral condition, Pacific Ocean water temperatures and weather patterns are roughly normal, which means that weather patterns in most of the world will also be normal for the next 3 to 6 months (at this point in time, ENSO neutral conditions are predicted through the first half of 2009). In contrast, an El Nino condition, which occurs when Pacific Ocean temperatures are warmer than normal, results in more storms than normal in the southern U.S., and overall milder and drier weather than usual in the northern U.S. The inverse of an El Nino is the La Nina condition, which is characterized by colder than normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. During a La Nina, the northern U.S. is colder and stormier than usual, and the southern U.S. is warmer, and drier than normal. For more detailed information on El Nino and La Nina, see this very good website, Frequently asked questions about El Nino and La Nina. http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ensofaq.shtml#PREDICTION
The only bad news comes for the southern U.S., which has suffered from drought conditions over the past few years. In these dry regions, an El Nino, even with its more extreme weather patterns, would have been welcome.