What does El Niño mean for you and your car, truck or SUV this Johnsburg summer?

Yes, this is the year of El Niño. But you don't need to be

terribly alarmed here in Johnsburg. Your biggest
concern is probably dealing with more rain.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting that an El Niño is coming our way this summer here in Johnsburg. They’ve even suggested that we might see a Super El Niño.

If you’re like many of us, that may leave you scratching your head and wondering, ‘What the heck is an El Niño?

Wikipedia sums up an El Niño like this:

El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific, which disrupts normal weather patterns globally. It occurs irregularly every 2–7 years and can cause extreme weather events like heavy rainfall in some areas and droughts in others.

What does that mean for you? And, by the way, what does it mean for your car, truck or SUV out in your Johnsburg driveway?

If the NOAA is correct, the El Niño is already here. And it’s expected to last through July and August. And it’s all because of waters warming in the Equatorial Pacific. And the NOAA says there’s a 1-in-3 chance that the El Niño will develop into a Super El Niño by October.

The National Weather Service predicts that the El Niño will be with us until the end of the year.

Does this mean will have a hot summer? Not according to an article by Rob Schackelford on The Weather Channel Website. Schackelford writes, “In terms of temperatures around the U.S., El Niños don’t historically alter summer temperatures significantly.”

That would appear to be good news, unless you’re one of those folks who like your summers really, really hot. What it does mean is a greater likelihood of more hurricanes.

Many of us have noticed that hurricanes in the Southern part of the country seem to soak things further North, such as in Johnsburg. That’s not much to complain about compared to someone whose life and property may hang in the balance as a hurricane approaches. But it does suggest greater precipitation to contend with in our neck of the woods.

So, what does it mean for your car, truck or SUV?

You can expect to drive through the rain more often and you should be careful not to drive through deep puddles when that rain causes flooding. Otherwise, summer is full-speed ahead for fun and adventure.

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