Was 2015 an El Niño year?
The 2015-16 event possessed most of the classic defining features of an El Niño event. Water temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean were more than 2° C (3.6° F) above average, as they had been during previous strong El Niño events in 1982-83 and 1997-98.
What happens to the California Current during El Niño?
During an El Niño event, the surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer than usual. It also reduces the upwelling of cooler, nutrient-rich waters from the deep—shutting down or reversing ocean currents along the equator and along the west coast of South and Central America.
What does El Nino mean for California weather?
El Niño is characterized by warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the Eastern equitorial Pacific. Impacts due to flooding, unusually large waves, heavy precipitation, and erosion are expected in Southern California. …
Why does El Niño occur?
An El Niño condition occurs when surface water in the equatorial Pacific becomes warmer than average and east winds blow weaker than normal. During this phase of ENSO, the water is cooler than normal and the east winds are stronger. El Niños typically occur every 3 to 5 years.
What does El Niño mean in English?
Christ Child
El Niño means Little Boy, or Christ Child in Spanish. South American fishermen first noticed periods of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean in the 1600s. The full name they used was El Niño de Navidad, because El Niño typically peaks around December. El Niño can affect our weather significantly.
When was the biggest El Niño?
The World Meteorological Organization says the 1997-’98 El Niño was the strongest in the 20th Century. It was a major factor in 1997’s record high temperatures. The estimated average surface temperature for land and sea worldwide was 0.8ºF higher than the 1961-1990 average of 61.7ºF.
Does El Niño bring rain to California?
Although El Niño conditions can bring above-average precipitation to California in the winter, that is not always the case. Strong El Niño years tend to see wetter conditions in Northern California. El Niño events in 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 drenched the West Coast with record rain.
Is El Nino good or bad?
El Niño can get a bad rap, catching blame for everything from torrential rain and flooding in California to tropical storms in the Pacific and cyclones hitting the Arabian Peninsula . But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It depends on where you are on the planet. If you happen to be in Colorado, for example, El Niño can be a good thing.
What are the causes and effects of El Nino?
The effects of El Nino created extreme weather changes, ranging from severe drought to severe flooding. These changes posed drastic problems for the population. Drought caused food insecurity and poverty due to crop failure, and flooding created problems with sanitation and increased the spread of water-borne and communicable diseases.
Is El Nino a weather or phenomenon?
El Niño: A Global Weather Phenomenon In the context of climate and weather, the name El Niño originally referred to the warm ocean current that appears along the pacific coast of South America each year around Christmas.
What is the impact of El Nino?
A strong El Nino can have a big impact on global weather patterns because it changes the way air circulates in the atmosphere. These circulations are determined by Earth’s rotation, the angle of its axis relative to the sun, and the position of its landmasses and oceans.