Last winter, the skies opened up and dumped upwards of seven inches of snow all at once over two days. In a region where heavy snowfall is a rarity, it was an anomaly that crippled transportation, canceled school for a week and blanketed Beaufort County in white powder.

The Washington Public Works and the Department of Transportation did their best in coating the roads with de-icing spray and, once the precipitation fell, clearing the roads of snow. But with limited resources at their disposal, there was only so much they could do.

This winter, El Niño is expected to impact all of eastern North Carolina, a weather event that affects temperature and precipitation patterns. While decreasing the chance of strong hurricanes, heavier precipitation is expected across the southern United States and, more specifically, the Carolinas, according to the National Weather Service.

“This particular El Niño is expected to become strong this winter, perhaps rivaling some of the strongest events in recent history,” according to a press release from the National Weather Service.

Usually “above-normal rainfall” is associated with El Niño, but if the weather becomes cold enough to produce snow, that white powder will come in droves, resembling some of the storms we had just seven months ago. During the last “strong” El Niño in 1997-1998, Wilmington received 23.34 inches of precipitation, although no snow was reported. But in the winter of 1972-1973, another “strong” El Niño season, 14.4 inches of snow fell, according to the release.

Now, again, most of the anticipated precipitation will be rain, but if the temperatures drop below freezing and the snow falls, Beaufort County may find itself battling the elements without the necessary arsenal, which would once again cancel school and hinder transportation.

With El Niño looming, it may be time to reopen the conversation about how to best prepare for a strong winter event or increased ground saturation due to rain, which will trigger serious flooding. Rain or snow, if El Niño sticks around, the precipitation will fall.

For eastern North Carolina, not preparing to the best of our ability for a snowstorm or heavy rainfall could be like playing the weather version of Russian roulette.