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Meteorologists Say Adios To Wet, El Niño Winter For Drought-Plagued California

(CBS SF) -- Long-term weather forecasters seem more doubtful about a wet, El Niño winter bringing drought relief to California.

They're meeting in Los Angeles to discuss what may be in store in the coming months.

Despite Thursday's rain in Northern California, the experts are no longer optimistic.

"Earlier this Spring, El Niño came up like gangbusters," said JPL Climatologist Bill Patzert. "The equatorial and eastern pacific was warming up, but as we came through the summer and early fall the El Niño sort of faded."

A strong El Niño, which is a warming of ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean, can increase chances of wet weather patterns for California.

Earlier this year, meteorologists had predicted at least a 65 percent chance that El Niño would develop this year.

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