Strong El Niño Could Mean Warm Winter For Chicago Area

(CBS) -- There's new information that the dreaded polar vortex may not make a return to the Chicago area this coming winter.

Every three to eight years, the waters near the equatorial Eastern Pacific become abnormally warm, says National Weather Service meteorologist Gino Izzi says.

The last strong El Niño was in the 1997-98 winter, when the Chicago region experienced an unusually warm winter, with some temperatures hitting the high-50s.

There's no guarantee that will happen again, but there's hope, Izzi says. The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting above-average chances for a warmer-than-usual winter.

Forecasters says signs point to a strong El Niño.