and they've been gully washers. Right at the time where every bit of my money goes to living expenses that have already been cut to the bone, but the roof needs to be replaced. We have a taste of those "gully washers" inside my house each time one hits the area. The house and land has shifted thanks to the years of drought, and now all the water runs downhill (of course) and in through the backdoor of my house. If I had the money, I'd give it up and move elsewhere. If I'm lucky, maybe it'll finally wash the house away and I can collect insurance. Until then, it's all up to me... and I've got $5k of medical costs I haven't even begun to pay down yet, let alone anything left for the roof. Somehow, keeping the lights on, the plumbing working, and us eating have been the highest priorities. I swear, trump is going to kill us, and no one will care.

While I would never want the worst that El Nino brings to other regions, not one bit, the last time El Niño conditions significantly lessened Atlantic hurricane activity was in 2023. I was glad for that and thanked my lucky stars that year. I've learned that El Ninos haven't been known as such until recently, and that back in the day kept Atlantic hurricanes at bay but no one really knew why.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Niño–Southern_Oscillation

I've grown up hearing all my life that I live in the "Midwest"... but when you hear or read Midwest in most weather media they're talking about the upper tier of states... what we called the "Northern" part.

Being in the exact center (more or less) of the U.S. should make us the Central Midwest, but I've never seen it written that way. It's either upper or lower midwest, and those of us in the actual midwest see our issues on their maps as fringe spots to either upper or lower midwest. It is a bit irritating. But my bones and joints are doing a pretty darned good job lately of letting me know when bad whether is going to hit...! (LOL)

being severely defunded. So yes, you can't rely on this administration's consistent attention to anything meteorological.

Though you appear to have no choice about your situation, you sound pretty adaptive and tough.

is much worse with a strong El Nino... (Az). Yes, I am aware the situation will be even worse for other areas.
However, I'm still dreading it.
Thank you for the post.