"Much of the U.S. South can expect a cooler and wetter winter, while warmer than usual temperatures are likely across many northern and western states, as a strong El Niño weather pattern shaped a government weather outlook issued on Thursday.

More rain and snow are likely across the nation's southern regions, extending from central California to Texas and Florida and up the East Coast to southern New England, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Its outlook did not forecast the intensity or frequency of storms."
 
Letitia Stein reports for Reuters October 16, 2015. [2]