OREANDA-NEWS. El Nino conditions likely will result in a warmer-than-average winter in the US, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said today.

US heating degree days, a measure of heating demand, in December 2015-February 2016 should be 1.6pc below the average in 1981-2010. That measure should also be 6pc lower than it was last winter, said Michael Halpert, deputy director at the federal agency's Climate Prediction Center.

Federal meteorologists expect higher-than-normal winter temperatures in the northern US, including the northeastern and Chicago markets.

Both regions experienced unusually harsh winter conditions in 2013-14 and 2014-15, which led to temporary spikes in natural gas prices.

The Pacific northwest likely will have another warmer-than-normal winter and precipitation there should be below average, limiting hydropower potential.

Drought-hit California likely will have colder-than-normal weather and higher precipitation than it had in recent winters. The forecast points to somewhat better hydrological conditions for the state, which could reduce reliance on natural gas and on imports from nearby hydro and coal-reliant parts of the west.

The Gulf Coast and southeasterb US should have temperatures below historical averages.