El Niño impacts across the Americas

El Niño starts in the middle of the Pacific, but its fingerprints show up from Alaska to Argentina. When that stretch of ocean warms, it nudges the jet stream and shifts where storms travel. Some places get more rain and snow; others get warmer and drier.

No two El Niños are the same, and other patterns can push back. What follows are tendencies seen in past events, not a forecast for your town.

United States: a wetter South, a milder North

El Niño's biggest footprint in the U.S. shows up in winter. A stronger, more southern jet stream tends to steer storms across the southern tier, so California, the Gulf Coast and Florida often see a wetter, cooler season than usual. Meanwhile, much of the northern U.S., from the Pacific Northwest to the Ohio Valley, tends to run warmer and drier, with less snow than normal.

Canada: an easier winter

For much of Canada, especially the west and the Prairies, El Niño winters tend to be milder than average. It does not mean no snow, just that the deep cold has a harder time settling in.

Hurricanes: fewer in the Atlantic, more in the Pacific

El Niño strengthens the upper-level winds over the Atlantic, which tends to tear developing storms apart. Atlantic hurricane seasons during El Niño are often quieter, while the eastern Pacific tends to be busier.

Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean: drier

Northern Mexico often gets a wetter winter, but southern Mexico, Central America's "Dry Corridor" and much of the Caribbean tend to see weaker rainy seasons, which can strain water supplies and crops.

South America: floods on the coast, drought up north

Coastal Peru and Ecuador are the first to feel it, with heavy rain and flooding when the ocean warms off their shores. Colombia, Venezuela and the Amazon tend to turn drier, while southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina usually get more rain.