Season 6 Episode 18 — Weather and Climate Outlook
In this episode of the Alabama Crops Report, Chandler Gruener and Josh Lee are joined by retired Florida State Climatologist David Zierden and Florida State Climatologist Emily Powell to discuss El Niño and the potential impacts on agriculture across Alabama and the Southeast. The group explains what El Niño is, why the current event is noteworthy, and what producers can expect in the coming months.
“This current one is coming on early and reaching strength as far as the sea surface temperature warming. That we haven’t seen before. This is a record breaker already, and it’s early in the game. They usually peak around December or so; it could still become stronger.” — David Zierden
Listeners will also hear about drought recovery, hurricane activity, winter weather outlooks, and considerations and expectations for soil moisture and planting conditions in the year ahead. The episode concludes with a discussion about forecast uncertainty and what climatologists are watching as El Niño develops, including rainfall patterns, temperatures, and the possibility of changing conditions in the months ahead.
“Now for wetter conditions, it’s just harder to say how that will actually look on the ground in the months ahead.” — Emily Powell
Season 6 Episode 18 — Weather and Climate Outlook Transcript