October and the rest of fall's weather in the U.S. may have some temperature and precipitation patterns typical of a strong El Niño.

October temperatures: chill delayed

According to the latest outlook released by The Weather Company, October is forecast to be warmer than average over much of the northern U.S.

That's particularly the case from the Northern Rockies across the Northern Plains into the upper Midwest.

This doesn't mean there won't be stretches of cooler weather across the northern tier from the occasional fall cold front. But considering the month as a whole, it's expected to skew warmer in these areas.

And it could mean a later first freeze of fall in at least parts of the north this year.

But October may be a tad cooler than usual from parts of the Southwest and South Texas to Florida and the Southeast.

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To explain that, let's look at our October precipitation outlook.

October precipitation: soggy South

October is forecast to be wetter than usual in much of the South, particularly along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida and Georgia.

That's the main reason why the South's October temperatures may not join the warmer-than-average North.

It's good news for the widespread drought across the southern U.S., as long as it's not accompanied by any tropical activity.

Instead, the Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast may be a tad drier than usual.

That's also good news for the fall harvest, when you want fields to be dry.

A look into November

Think October looked warmer than usual? Check out our November outlook below.

Virtually the entire eastern two-thirds of the nation will at least skew warmer than average in November.

The Midwest, especially western Great Lakes and upper Mississippi Valley has the best chance of a warmer November.

With temperatures that mild, it could delay the typical first snow of the season for some in the Midwest into December.

(MORE: The record earliest first snow of fall may shock you)

Wet fall weather in the South may expand and intensify in November, with a wetter-than-average month forecast from California to the Northeast's I-95 corridor.

Keep this in mind if you have late fall travel plans to the Gulf Coast and Southeast beaches, including Florida during a month that usually kicks off the Sunshine State's dry season.

Meanwhile, one of the wettest months of the year may be drier than usual in the Northwest, an early concern given the drought in place after last winter's paltry snowpack.

Blame El Niño?

El Niño usually isn't the only influence on weather patterns, especially in the colder months.

But what is likely to become a record-strong El Niño has its fingerprints all over the rest of this fall's weather.

Strong El Niños in past Octobers typically are broadly warm across the U.S., according to Joshua Senechal, senior meteorologist with The Weather Company.

"Strong El Niño analog years tend to feature a strong Aleutians low pressure system, helping amplify a downstream ridge of high pressure across the central and western U.S. in October," Senechal told weather.com.

El Niño's influence on the southern jet stream only increases in November.

"Come November, we anticipate a strong activation of the subtropical jet stream, facilitating a cooler, wetter transition in the Southwest U.S. while a broad ridge envelops much of the northern tier," Senechal said.

In other words, get used to "warm North, wet South" this fall and winter.

(MORE: Winter outlook | How El Niño could impact your winter getaway travel)

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.