How long will El Niño last?

(NEXSTAR) – The end of El Niño may be near.

Forecasters around the world expect the weather phenomenon to end gradually at some point between April and June, the Climate Prediction Center announced. said on thursday. New estimates say there is a 73% chance that El Niño will end by this time in spring or early summer.

The strong El Niño we are seeing is expected to gradually weaken for some time from now. Once that dissipates, we hope to be in an “ENSO neutral” state. In other words, it won't be El Niño, but it won't be La Niña either.

El Niño and La Niña typically reach their peak strength in winter. A strong El Niño winter typically means a cold, wet winter in California and the southern United States, but a warm, dry winter in the Pacific Northwest and the Ohio Valley. This is pretty consistent with what we've seen this winter and what we expect to continue in the coming months.

Unless the expected La Niña or El Niño events occur in the coming months, spring weather could become even more unpredictable.

“The crystal ball is even more blurry than usual,” Michel La Roux, a meteorologist at the Climate Prediction Center, told Nexstar. “A neutral ENSO effectively means that conditions across the tropical Pacific are close to average, with no major disruptions to atmospheric circulation caused by El Niño and La Niña.”

But even as El Niño's end approaches, its effects are still being felt.

“El Niño events typically reach their peak in December or early January, but although they are weakening, their impact on the United States could continue into April,” the Climate Prediction Center said.

Although it is still far from certain, La Niña rather than El Niño is likely to dominate next fall and winter. This means the southern half of the United States is likely to experience warm, dry weather, while the north is likely to experience wet, cold weather.