El Nino winter may mean ice storms for southwestern Ontario

This season's El Nino cycle is the secondstrongest on record, and climatologists are predicting that it could bringa slightly warmer winter, but also the potential for nasty ice storms.

The El Nino season is also partially responsible for current warmer-than-seasonal temperatures, says GeoffCoulson, awarning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.

"One of the influences an El Nino tends to have for us in and around southern Ontario in the fall and winter is somewhat milder than normal temperatures," saidCoulson.

"That's definitely a trend that we saw toward the end of October, and the first part of this month, and it is a trend that we're expecting to influence our weather in the coming winter months as well."

• This year's El Nino will be the strongest in 18 years

Coulson said climatologists are expecting this season's El Ninoto bethe secondstrongest in recorded history, which goes back to1950.

"The only time there was an El Nino that was stronger than the one that we're going through right now was the fall and winter of 1997 to 1998."

• CBC Archives: The ice storm of 1998

In January 1998, Ontario sufferedthrough over a week of freezing rain, creating anice storm that caused significant power outages in eastern Ontario, southernQuebec and parts of New England.