WEATHER UPDATE
• Northern Plains & Upper Midwest: Often warmer and drier during winter, which can reduce snowpack and early-season moisture recharge heading into spring grazing and planting.
• Western U. S.: Increased precipitation, particularly across California, can improve reservoir levels and irrigation outlooks, but extreme events can lead to runoff losses rather than usable water storage.
To illustrate that the composite / mean of all El Niños can be misleading, note the maps for individual events versus the average. You can explore mapping, compare event strengths, and more at makensweather. com / ncba.
www. NCBA. org NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 17