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El Nino could bring drought relief to part of Utah and southwestern U.S.

(Susan Montoya Bryan | AP Photo) In this Feb. 18, 2018, file photo, sandbars fill the Rio Grande north of Albuquerque, N.M. Weather forecasters said sparse rainfall in the U.S. Southern Plains since autumn has caused drought conditions to worsen, especially in the Four Corners region of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. The U.S. Drought Monitor says moderate to extreme drought also persists in parts of Oklahoma and Texas.

Oklahoma City • Climatologists say conditions are right for development of an El Nino weather pattern that could bring wetter than normal conditions this winter in drought-stricken area of the southwestern U.S.

But weather researchers said Wednesday that even if an El Nino occurs, that doesn't assure that parched areas of the Southwest will receive more rain and snow. They also say higher-than-average precipitation is not likely to make up for rainfall deficits in the region over the past year.

The U.S. Drought Monitor says parts of the Southwest are experiencing extreme to exceptional drought, especially the Four Corners region of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

Gerry Bell, research meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, says El Nino rainfall could relieve drought conditions in parts of those states, but drought will persist elsewhere.