Weather forecasters seem to disagree about the effects El Ni¤o will cause this winter.

While some are predicting the phenomenon to cause weather to worsen this winter, others are not concerned.

“Worse depends on where you’re at in the world,” said Elwynn Taylor, professor of agronomy. “El Ni¤o is favorable in this part of the country. We show record high yields during El Ni¤o years.”

Taylor said cold temperatures may not accompany El Ni¤o this year.

“We don’t expect this winter to be bitterly cold, but it may be on the moist side,” he said.

El Ni¤o conditions are usually good news for drought conditions, Taylor said.

“We have never had a serious drought in the Midwest while El Ni¤o is going on,” he said.

This added moisture causes problems when it comes in large quantities. Landslides in California have been one observable effect of this phenomenon, Taylor said.

Peru is another place that is severely affected by El Ni¤o.

“Peru is used to two or three inches of rain during the Christmas season, but in 1982, El Ni¤o brought 60 inches of rain,” he said.

Conditions that signal an El Ni¤o year are warming waters in the Pacific Ocean along the equator, lower-than-normal ocean temperatures around Hawaii and air pressure changes around the globe.

According to CNN, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration instruments have recorded an increase in temperature more than two degrees Fahrenheit above average in the tropical Pacific, near the South American coast.

These warming waters cause a chain reaction over much of the globe. The temporary changes in air and water currents have become known as El Ni¤o.

“We call it El Ni¤o when it comes on strong,” Taylor said. “Global cooling has almost no effect outside of the tropics, but global warming shows effects over the world.”