El Niño events still winter winds across the southern Canadian Prairies, which impacts the wind energy industry. Low wind speeds during El Niño winters like 1998 and 2009-2010 reduced wind farm output by 30% and 200 gigawatt hours respectively. While reduced winds lower energy production in the short term, understanding the relationship between El Niño and wind speeds helps the industry predict long term output and plan for lower wind years.