JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The same weather pattern that has helped make this a quieter hurricane season will likely cause a slightly cooler and wetter winter in Florida.

Researchers have confirmed that El Niño has reappeared in the eastern Pacific Ocean for the first time in four years.

That phenomenon is caused by unusually warm sea surface temperatures.

"Most El Nño winters in Florida will have more rainfall and winter storms than average," said George Winterling, chief meteorologist at the local station. "These storms develop along fronts where warm tropical air from the south collides with cold polar air from the north. As the jet stream sweeps rain and snow up the Atlantic seaboard, cold air replaces it, causing Florida to experience temperatures 2 to 4 degrees colder than average."

Weather expert James O'Brien at Florida State University said El Niño also creates a weather pattern that hinders the formation of hurricanes.

He said that that winds up at 20,000 feet are too strong and knock over the thunderstorms so that a hurricane can't get organized.

While El Niño causes a cooler, wetter winter in Florida, it also helps prevent severe cold snaps that can damage Florida's citrus and vegetables. El Niño creates a jet stream across the southern part of the country that blocks cold arctic air from Canada.