El Niño's 2014 arrival.

There's a better than 50/50 shot that El Nino is returning. A stain of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean is gaining momentum, spreading east, and it may flavor our weather here in Minnesota by the latter half of 2014. Every El Nino is different, but most warm phases of the Pacific result in cooler, wetter summers for the Upper Midwest. It may even take the edge off a deepening drought from California to the southern Plains. El Nino events often energize the southern branch of the jet stream; increased winds over the tropics often inhibit hurricane development in the Caribbean. If El Nino remains in place odds would favor a milder than normal winter next year.A push of chilly, dry air out of Canada sets the stage for a rain/snow mix Wednesday. A few inches of slush may pile up from Brainerd and Lake Mille Lacs to Duluth, but the sun is too high in the sky for snow to linger. 

http://www.startribune.com/blogs/255175331.html