

Um, guys? This winter could be a disaster! But the skiing is probably going to be insane.

A new piece in the Washington Post, and the new thermographic image above, are here to scare the wits out of you today about this coming fall and winter, when it sounds like every day in California will be a #Rainpocalypse. You know how that climate guy was calling the coming El Niño, now taking shape in the Pacific, a "Godzilla El Niño" a couple weeks ago? Well now more experts are weighing in saying it's most definitely going to get the official categorization of a "strong" event by the end of this month, and 2015 is likely to then become the warmest year on record for the planet as a whole.

That's going to mean a lot of different things for a lot of places, including possible drought in Australia, fewer Atlantic hurricanes, and a super-warm winter back east, but here in California it could mean daily deluges, mudslides, flash floods, roads washed out, broken/flooded subway systems, you name it!

It could be just the drought-busting drenching that our parched state needs, but to journalists around the country it is already sounding like a major catastrophe before it's even begun.

Will it be just a series of gray and rainy days from November to April the way '97/98 was? Or will it be way, way more dramatic than that?

Historically speaking, El Niño and La Niña events tend to be at their strongest, weather-wise, from December to February. And while they mostly only last 9 to 12 months, they can go on for up two years.

Below, Reuters's explainer video, and a briefing by Anthony Barnston of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society.

For more, vist iri.columbia.edu/enso and follow #IRIForecast on Twitter.

Previously: 'Godzilla El Niño' Now Predicted This Winter