WASHINGTON — The worldwide weather pattern known as El Nino is getting started in the Pacific, and forecasters are saying that this one could be the strongest in decades, possibly ever. It could last well into the winter, perhaps even into the spring.

So what does that mean for the D.C. area? National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Strong told WTOP on Tuesday that it could mean good news in one season, rough news in another.

El Nino, Strong says, is “a cycle in the tropical Pacific Ocean — which is a big part of the globe, when you think about it.” So its fluctuations can have a serious effect on weather, though mostly in California, where it comes aground in the U.S.

But the heat and moisture that El Nino pumps into the atmosphere creates “added potential” for stronger winter storms for the D.C. area, though Strong cautions that it’s too early to tell for sure and that each individual storm is different.

The good news, however, is that El Nino “actually ends to suppress hurricane season,” Strong says.

A less-active season has been forecast for the Atlantic Ocean this year, “and so far that’s been the case.”