El Niño Sets a Patchwork Winter for the U.S.

The Farmers Almanac’s 2026-27 winter forecast says a strong El Niño will shape a regional mix: more storms for the South and Desert Southwest (with heavier snowfall in the southern Rockies), drier and variable conditions in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest amid cold snaps, a potentially less dependable snow season for the Pacific Northwest, and a complex Northeast with inland heavy snow and coastal rain/mix as storm tracks shift, including uncertain swings in the Mid-Atlantic and New England.