Insider Blog: El Niño Has Arrived And Is Here To Stay

Last Thursday, June 8th, 2023, the Climate Prediction Center, a division of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) issued an El Niño Advisory. An El Niño (or La Niña) advisory is issued when El Niño (or La Niña) conditions are both observed and expected to continue. 

Across the globe, there are a wide variety of different climate cycles independent of each other. Each with their own unique effects on weather across the planet. One of these cycles, ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) is the cycle responsible for bringing us both El Niño and La Niña conditions. 

But what exactly are El Niño and La Niña? Well, when waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are at least 0.5°C (0.9°F) warmer than average, we meet the criteria for El Niño. La Niña occurs when water temperatures are at least 0.5°C (0.9°F) below average.

What does an El Niño mean for the United States and Southern California? During an El Niño, changes in atmospheric circulations result in the jetstream dipping farther south than normal. In turn, this has the ability to bring more storms and overall wetter conditions to much of the southern parts of the country from the west coast to the east. 

Meteorologists with NOAA, the National Weather Service and the Climate Prediction Center are expecting this El Niño to continue into and through the 2023/2024 winter season. Given that impacts from both El Niño and La Niña are felt most strongly in the winter months, the First Alert Weather Team will continue to monitor these conditions as well as any effects to the Coachella Valley.