The fall weather forecast looks pretty average, from a distance. Winter, maybe not so average. An El Nino year is forming, and the warm Pacific air will almost certainly warm Western Canada in the winter. If it’s strong enough — that is, if the Pacific Ocean forms a ”hot tub” over a big enough area — it will warm Central Canada’s winter too.

It would be wise to start stockpiling nordic ski wax for low-snow conditions, if such a product exists. An El Nino, warmer than normal water in the Pacific Ocean near the equater, has been forecast for this winter and that would mean less snow than normal for Milwaukee, Madison and the rest of the Midwest, based on historical patterns.