California has taken the brunt of deviance in weather patterns due to climate change recently. The drought that began four years ago is still going strong, breaking record marks for a state that is no stranger to droughts. However, it's looking like Californians may not have to endure the pressing conditions much longer.

El Niños are hard to predict, but they occur about every two to seven years. El Niños are characterized by severe climatic changes that alter weather patterns in the earth's equatorial pacific region. One of the effects: heavy precipitation in the Southwest, particularly California.

If predictions are correct, the weather should be a pretty consistent heavy downpour. The following should be expected on daily local news programs.

Some experts even say that the drought could end all together. But one has to wonder, is there such thing as too much rain? For a state that has barely had any in four years, the answer is yes.

The winter of 1997 and 1998 also saw a record-breaking El Niño. The result: damaging floods and mudslides throughout California. But for a state drying up at a rate faster than any other, it will surely be worth it.

In the scope of it all, the forceful climatic event will be rather devastating. Countries across Asia have faced numerous heat waves already this year, and El Niño will only warm things up more. In general, third-world countries that do not have the infrastructure to recover from extreme weather conditions will be at the mercy of the earth's ever-changing climate.

Nicknames are being handed out left and right for the weather phenomenon that is to come. My favorites: 'The Godzilla El Niño,' and 'The Bruce Lee El Niño'.

Visuals of weather predictions are tough to analyze for most people, but there are a few I have found that simplify the effects of El Niño for the average individual hoping to know how they will be affected.

This one comes from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), which is regarded as the most reputable source for predictions on occurrences such as El Niño.

This visual from theweathernetwork.com compares the weather patterns leading up to the El Niño of 1997 (the largest on record) to this year's.