Insider Blog: An update on El Niño conditions

We have been keeping a close eye on El Niño conditions over the last few months. As a reminder, El Niño is part of a climate cycle known as ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation). El Nino represents the phase when sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are at least 0.5 degrees Celsius above average and La Niña represents when SSTs are at least 0.5 degrees Celsius below average.

El Niño and La Niña can have wide-ranging effects across the globe. But, for the United States, El Niño phases tend to push the jetstream south. This allows for more storms to impact the southern parts of the country, including Southern California. This can lead to a wetter winter.

The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting the current El Niño event to continue through the winter. The CPC also gives an 80% chance of El Niño continuing through the spring of next year.

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