AUSTIN (KXAN) - - The possibility of transitioning to an El Niño environment pattern has continued to increase, prompting the Climate Prediction Center to release an El Niño watch.

According to the Climate Prediction Center an El Niño Watch is released "when conditions are favorable for the development of El Niño conditions within the next six months."

We're presently not experiencing El Niño. We're in an ENSO Neutral pattern, which implies neither La Niño or El Niño. Remember, ENSO means El Niño Southern Oscillation and is the name for the environment pattern affected by the warmer- or cooler-than-normal waters of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific. When the waters are within 0.5 ºC of regular, we're thought about ENSO Neutral, and no predictable changes in our weather condition pattern are anticipated to result from the water temperature level in that part of the Pacific.

Possibilities of El Niño

The odds of El Niño have actually ramped up significantly over last month's update. Last month ENSO Neutral was anticipated to continue through the May-July 3 month period prior to a switch to El Niño July-September.

Climate Prediction Center forecasters had alerted about the "spring unpredictability barrier" that makes it hard to anticipate ENSO throughout the spring months, however in the April publication they compose "the recent oceanic Kelvin wave plus repeating westerly wind anomalies are prepared for to additional warm the tropical Pacific Ocean. The coastal warming in the eastern Pacific may foreshadow changes throughout the Pacific basin. For that reason, an El Niño Watch has been released.".

4 in 10 chance of a ‘‘ strong' El Niño

El Niño usually brings wetter than typical weather condition to the southwest, most of the south and parts of the southeastern United States.

Drier than normal conditions must be expected for the Midwest and lower Great Lakes.

Warmer than regular temperatures can be expected for the Pacific Northwest and many of the northern tier states.

How El Nino generally impacts weather condition in the winter season (NOAA).

Here in Central Texas, El Niño must bring wetter and cooler weather this coming winter.