With forecasters predicting a classic El Niño winter this year, it could mean more snow in some parts of the country.
El Niño, a natural ocean and weather pattern in the tropical Pacific, could mean higher chances of snow in some atypical areas and more potent Northeast snowstorms, according to weather experts.
In general, El Niño will likely mean a warmer and wetter winter in parts of the US. It typically brings wetter and cooler weather to the South while the north becomes drier and warmer.
Use CNN’s winter weather alert tracker to see advisories, watches and warnings across the country.
Even if some winter weather alerts span huge areas of the country, they may only affect a relatively small number of people. The map below shows how much of a state’s population is under winter weather advisories, watches or warnings.
Methodology: The population figures in the maps were calculated using a spatial analysis of the National Weather Service’s Public Forecast Zones and US Census Bureau’s five-year American Community Survey at the block group level for 2022. The figures, which should be considered estimates, were derived by merging geographic files provided by the two agencies and then summing the population.
