Here’s Why We Could Be in for a Mild Winter This Year in Maine

I think we can all admit, like it or not, we had plenty of snow and cold temperatures to go around last winter. But what's in store for this winter? Science tells us we could be in for a mild one. 

It's going to be a winter where El Niño comes to play, and possibly in a big way.

An El Niño is a warming of the Pacific Ocean surface temperature. So warm that it affects weather around the world. That warm ocean water can make for a mild winter here in the northeast.

Our last major El Niño event happened during the winter of 1997-1998 when we saw temperatures above normal in Maine, the second highest winter temperatures on record. However, that was also the year of the ice storm here in Maine. So there's that.

Scientists are predicting that we could have the strongest El Niño we've experienced since 1950. What that means for us remains to be seen, because as we all know weather does what it wants when it wants. Knowing what'll happen that far out is impossible to tell.

NBC Today Show meteorologist Dylan Dreyer did share this graphic on Twitter though that shows what has happened based on historical data. The five most power El Niño's averaged a winter temperature rise in the Northeast of 1.2 degrees and a snowfall decrease of 6.5 inches.

Now we just wait and see.

Do you want a mild winter? Or are you hoping for another snowy one like last year? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter @Q979.