BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- A Colorado climate scientist says midwinter snowstorms could stay south of the state's ski areas this season because of an El Nino pattern.
Klaus Wolter of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday that doesn't mean the resorts won't get snow, just that they probably won't have as many midwinter storms.
He says El Nino -- a warming in the tropical Pacific Ocean -- could also bring a wet spring to resorts just west of the Continental Divide.
Wolter says Colorado should have fewer strong wind storms, especially along the Front Range. He says the two snowstorms that have already hit the Front Range this fall are typical of an El Nino season.
Wolter also works at the University of Colorado.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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