While the East coast was battered by record snowfall this past weekend, Illinois continued to enjoy a mostly above average temperature and below average snowfall pattern. State Climatologist Jim Angel says that is typical of the current El Nino pattern and the next couple of weeks should see the mild conditions to continue.

Another typical El Nino pattern is for it to revert to neutral or even flip to La Nina patterns in the spring and summer months.

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And while history does not always repeat itself, Angel says the Weather Service long range forecasts are starting to lean toward a hot dry summer in 2016

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State Climatologist Jim Angel.