Anyone hoping for a less frigid, less snow-filled winter may be in luck if the weather phenomenon known as El Nino makes its way to the Northeast.

Dr. Steve Zebiak, a senior research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, helped develop a computerized forecast model to predict the occurrence of El Nino. He says El Nino disrupts temperatures and sets up wave patterns that reach all the way to distant parts of the globe.

According to Dr. Zebiak, there tend to be no warm or cold extremes during El Nino. So far, computer models are pointing to the possibility of El Nino and hopefully that means a milder winter.