A look at what the El Niño forecast could mean for Chicago winter – N…

Chicago saw measurable snow and bitter cold temps of the last few days and the winter season hasn’t even started, but is that an indicator of what to expect this winter as a strong El Niño is expected?

As of the latest update on Nov. 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported an El Niño could continue even into spring 2024.

“Based on latest forecasts, there is a greater than 55% chance of at least a ‘strong’ El Niño persisting through January-March 2024,” the NOAA reported.

On top of that, there’s a possibility the event could become “historically strong” for the months of November through January.

According to the Storm Team, the Northern Hemisphere is entering into its strongest El Niño winter in nearly a decade.

Chicago typically sees its first trace of snowfall on Oct. 31, and that is exactly what happened this year, as the city measured 0.9 inches of snow on Halloween.

The city typically sees its first snowfall of 1 inch…