NASA Scientist Says El Niño May Still Bring Rain

PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — Winter is already more than half-way through. Southern California saw little rain so far. Where is El Niño that was supposed to offset the drought, which is in its fifth year?

That is the question many are asking: When is the rain coming?

Bill Patzert, a climatologist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, created the term "Godzilla El Niño."

He said not to lose hope just yet. "Often these El Niños come on in late winter or early spring. So March and April could be the real deal on the real show," Patzert said.

Unlike the past, the scientist said this El Niño is one of the longest and largest weather events ever recorded. Climate change has a lot to do with the impact of El Niño, from the frequency to the intensity, he added.

"Of course, that's what we're doing here at JPL. We're flying satellites to better measure and better understand the El Niño," Patzert said.

So for all those who got a new roof and cleaned out your gutters in anticipation of heavy rains, Patzert said they did the right thing because he predicts the rain may still be coming.

The climatologist said he does feel the pressure of being the bearer of good news. "Everyone greets me the same: Where's the rain? But I'm tough. I can take it because I know that March and April have a high potential for rain," the scientist added.

Ken Weekley of Burbank hopes Patzert is right. "Let's hope in the next couple of months we'll see and prove that we'll have moisture over here and some rain. We certainly could use it down here."