The Midwest could be in for an El Niño winter.

That's according to Ed Shimon at the National Weather Service in Lincoln, who indicates the conditions at the equator are setting up for what could be a pretty strong El Niño signal this winter.

According to Shimon, any drought concerns going into an El Niño winter tend to intensify. Additionally, weather can be volatile during an El Niño winter, creating all sorts of possibilities for severe weather.

Outlooks for the fall don't have a strong signal for precipitation one way or the other; however, Shimon points out drought outlooks aren't showing any indication of an intensifying drought through the fall months.

Winter months are already dry months, so indications of a weather pattern that produces below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures can be concerning.