El Niño Back, Should Mean Wet Winter

North Georgia lakes should benefit from a wetter than average winter this year brought on by the arrival of El Niño.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expects this El Niño to continue developing during the next several months, with further strengthening possible. The event is expected to last through winter 2009-10. El Niño also depresses chances for tropical precipitation from the Atlantic so the hurricaine season should be less active than in recent years.

The next few months may be a little dry but El Niño usually means a wet cool season in Georgia. The drier weather coupled with the possibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releasing enough water through Buford dam to make repairs could make it seem like Lake Lanier will be heading back to lower levels but hopefully El Niño will offset these events.

El Niño occurs every two to five years on average and can last 12 months. The most recent El Niño occurred in 2006.

As of now, Lake Lanier is about five feet below full pool as it recovers from drought conditions.