Seriously, politics aside, if we do have El Nino going into next northern winter, especially if it is at least moderate strength, it would typically tend to encourage dryer than average conditions in the Pacific Northwest and, with considerable uncertainty, wetter than average conditions in southern California--especially in the later winter. But these are only expected tendencies and there are no guarantees. If southern California does get above average rainfall it would be very much welcomed unless it is too far above average, and comes in the form of just a few intense storms that do more damage than good. First, we must get this El Nino to actually happen. We are still in the spring barrier and the probabilities are not yet 80% or more. Many dynamical models do predict an enduring event, likely based to some extent on the recent buildup of anomalous subsurface heat in the central and eastern tropical Pacific.