Tag: El Nino

Coastally-trapped Kelvin waves, a signature of El Niño, traveled north along the West Coast during the 1997/1998 El Niño, as shown in a map of sea surface height anomalies. Darker reds show sea levels higher than normal, while darker blues show heights below normal. Scientists are now watching for similar waves to move up the West Coast this fall. Credit: Dillon Amaya/North Carolina State University

Ocean Indicators We’re Tracking for El Niño’s Arrival on the West Coast

9/5/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Has El Niño reached the West Coast? You might think it has. After all, the ocean off Southern and Central California is unusually warm. But that is from a recent marine heatwave predates the current El Niño. Much of the Pacific Coast is experiencing relatively normal conditions while still… SEE MORE

El Nino Forms, Expected To Strengthen, Say NOAA Forecasters

7/1/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. NOAA’s National Weather Service announced today that El Nino has developed in the tropical Pacific, and issued an El Nino Advisory. El Nino, the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is predicted to intensify to a moderate or strong level this fall. Forecasters predict… SEE MORE

Vessels from the West Coast squid fleet followed market squid north into Oregon as ocean waters warmed, leading Oregon to adopt its first regulations for squid fishing in the state. Photo courtesy of California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

7 Ways El Niño and Large Marine Heatwave Could Affect West Coast Marine Species

6/23/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. A large marine heatwave has bathed parts of the West Coast in very warm ocean waters over the past year, breaking temperature records in the Pacific. NOAA has also announced that El Niño has developed in the tropical Pacific and is predicted to intensify to a moderate or strong level this… SEE MORE

High-tide flooding on October 24, 2017, submerged roads and parking areas along Dock Street, in the historic heart of Annapolis, Maryland. Photo by Will Parson, Chesapeake Bay Program. Used with permission.

El Niño and High Tide Flooding, a Possible Double Whammy for Some Coastal Communities in 2026

5/24/2026 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov, oceanservice.noaa.gov. NOAA’s National Weather Service is predicting El Niño is likely to emerge by July 2026 and continue through the winter, and for many locations in the U.S. this could mean more high tide flooding. To understand why more flooding is expected, it helps to understand what El Niño is and… SEE MORE

Changes in snowfall (in inches per decade) between 1959 and 2023. Across most of the United States—Alaska being the major exception—snowfall has declined (brown colors). NOAA Climate.gov map, based on ERA5 data from 1959-2023 analyzed by Michelle L'Heureux.

S(no)w Pain, S(no)w Gain: How does El Niño affect Snowfall over North America?

11/12/2023 - By climate.gov. Note: The primary writer of this post is Michelle L’Heureux, but it is inspired by and reviewed by Brian Brettschneider, who is the NWS Climate Service Program manager for the Alaska region. The last several winters have been depressingly bleak for snow lovers in the Washington, D.C. area,… SEE MORE

File:Typical North American winter impacts of El Niño, globe.png - Wikimedia Commons

Panama Canal to Slash Booking Slots due to Drought Over Coming Months

11/4/2023 - By reuters.com. PANAMA CITY, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The Panama Canal, one of the world's main maritime trade routes, will further reduce daily ship crossings in the coming months due to a severe drought, the authorities managing the canal said late on Monday, increasing shipping costs. Booking slots will be cut… SEE MORE

El Nino

Three phases of the tropical Pacific atmospheric circulation pattern: El Niño, La Niña, and neutral. During El Niño, the engine driving tropical circulation shifts to the east, while during La Niña, it's stronger than average. Figure by climate.gov.

What we Talk About When We Talk About the Jet Stream and El Niño

10/5/2023 - By climate.gov. A robust El Niño is developing in the tropical Pacific, and we’re looking ahead to potential impacts on winter weather and climate. For specifics on this upcoming winter, you’ll have to wait for next month, when NOAA CPC will release their winter outlook. Today, I’m going for the big… SEE MORE

Animation of sea surface temperatures for past 6 months by weather.gov

NOAA Declares the Arrival of El Nino

6/7/2023 - By John Moore. The expected El Nino has emerged, according to scientists at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. In the monthly outlook released today, forecasters issued an El Nino Advisory, noting that El Nino conditions are present and are expected to gradually strengthen into the winter. El… SEE MORE

Weather 101: What is La Niña?

3/21/2022 - La Niña is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, compared to El Niño, which is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. The graphic below shows the sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific (20ºN-20ºS, 100ºE-60ºW) from Indonesia on the left to central… SEE MORE

A nearly normal hurricane season is predicted by NOAA

NOAA Predicts Near Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season

Extreme Weather

5/27/2019 - NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is predicting that a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely this year. This outlook forecasts a 40% chance of a near-normal season, a 30% chance of an above-normal season and a 30% chance of a below-normal season. The hurricane season officially extends from June 1… SEE MORE