The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration has declared it official: the El Niño pattern seen so far this year will carry into this winter! After measuring sea surface temperatures, NOAA has determined that the currently weak El Niño weather pattern will strengthen over the next several months and hopefully deliver a big winter. The last El Niño event in 1998 brought record amounts of snow to the Sierra and made for a winter of truly epic skiing! Start tuning those skis and boards, it's going to be a good one!