A potentially very strong El Niño is developing for 2026-2027, but what might that mean for the North Central region? Historically, strong El Niño winters have tended to bring warmer conditions to the northern part of the region and wetter conditions farther south, including Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas. Those shifts could affect snowpack, spring runoff, water availability, vegetation, wildfire risk, and other natural resources. Explore this new USGS Climate Adaptation Science Center resource to learn what scientists are forecasting and what resource managers may want to watch as winter approaches.