El Niño outlook for New Mexico's winter

This year's El Niño weather is forecasting warmer-than average temperatures for much of the U.S. — but New Mexico is projected to have nearly-normal seasonal temperatures, according to a news release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The forecast covers December, January and February and predicts wetter-than-average conditions for some areas of the West, from parts of California to the south-central Rockies, the southern Plains, Gulf Coast, Southeast and lower mid-Atlantic, the release said.

Meteorologist Michael Anand with the National Weather Service, Albuquerque, said New Mexicans can expect more active storm systems bringing more rain and snow across the state, filling snow pack in the mountains.

“We are in an El Niño currently, and so what that usually means for New Mexico is that we have a more active storm track across the state,” Anand said. “Which means we get better chances for precipitation. So for the winter, we're looking at above-average chances for precipitation … (and) we are looking at better chances for a good snowpack across our mountains. And usually during an El Niño, we usually see chances for better snow across the state basically.”

Anand added that though the average temperatures for the winter will be fairly normal, we will still have “periods of above-average temperatures and periods of well-below-average temperatures.”

He said the state has been in “extreme to exceptional drought,” and the forecasted precipitation will not immediately end the drought conditions, but will help taper them off in the coming year.

“It will take time,” Anand said. “But once we get into the new year, that's when we'll start to see the improvements in terms of drought conditions.”