El Nino looms large over U.S. Winter Outlook El Nino will likely influence the upcoming winter months (December 2026 to February 2027), with warmer-than-average temperatures expected across the northern U.S.; wetter-than-average conditions likely across the southern U.S., from California to Florida, and along the Eastern Seaboard; and drought improving for the majority of the country, including areas in the East, Southern Great Plains and Southwest https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/el-nino-looms-large-over-us-winter-outlook