WEATHER -- The present El Niño event, on the cusp of attaining “strong” intensity, has a chance to overtake the record 1997 event, reports Jason Samenow, Washington Post weather writer.

The 2015 El Niño — defined by the expanding, deepening pool of warmer-than-normal ocean water in the tropical Pacific — has steadily grown stronger since the spring.

The presence of a strong El Niño almost ensures that 2015 will become the warmest on record for Earth and will have ripple effects on weather patterns all over the world, Samenow writes.

I'm not a weather expert, but I do remember that the winters of 1997 and 1998 were great for skiing but devastating to winter wildlife. Those were big set-back years for big-game herds, especially in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Stay tuned.