OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Climatologists said Wednesday that conditions are right for an El Nino weather pattern to develop that could bring wetter-than-normal conditions this winter in drought-stricken areas of the southwestern U.S.

But they also note there is no guarantee that an El Nino event would bring more rain and snow to the parched Southwest. Weather researchers also say higher-than-average precipitation in the region is not likely to make up for growing rainfall deficits over the past year.

"There's a wide variety of outcomes that can occur," said David Simeral, an associate research scie...