How The Coming El Niño Will Change The World's Weather

BI - Live Science ^ | 5-22-2014 | Becky Oskin, LiveScience

[blam]

Becky Oskin
May 22, 2014, 12:56 PM

The forecast for a drought-busting El Niño this winter has Californians as giddy as kids at Christmas.

An El Niño is the warm phase of a natural Pacific Ocean climate cycle driven by sea surface temperatures. The redistribution of hotter versus colder surface water triggers changes in atmospheric circulation that influences rainfall and storm patterns around the world.

Warm water is piling up in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean right now, similar to the pattern that preceded the strong 1997-1998 El Niño, when California was drenched by a series of winter storms.

The coming El Niño could finally bring real drought relief to California and other Southwestern states now in severe drought conditions. Based on past events, excess rainfall will also hit southeastern South America and eastern equatorial Africa, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom]

A new graphic from NOAA details El Niño's global impact on rainfall, from drought in Australia to flooding in India.

Typical rainfall patterns during El Niño events. Such patterns are likely during El Niño events, but not certain.

As the image shows, the change in global rainfall patterns caused by an especially powerful El Niño won't be welcomed everywhere in the world. The climate phenomenon will also bring drought to Indonesia, northern South America and southern Africa, NOAA said in a statement.

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[Jaxter]

Back in the day, when I watched network news, I used to love hearing Dan Rather say “El Niño”. El Neeeeenyo.

[NormsRevenge]

Dang it. Just when I have a long list of shovel ready projects..

Oh cell, a new sump was already on the list.

[NormsRevenge]

Oh vell

Damn spill chucker

[Zuse]

Are those undersea volcanoes acting up again?

[familyop]

[Kozak]

And no matter whether it’s too wet or too dry, too cold or too hot, we will be bombarded with “ Global Climate Change” horseshit.

[righttackle44]

I KNEW it! I KNEW IT! Finally, something we can blame the Mexicans for.

[Ace the Biker]

If it will bring rain to Texas by all means bring it on, the sooner the better.

[caveat emptor]

I notice that the map shows Vancouver Island, and N.W. Washington as “Dry” from November to the following March. That’s what we would usually call “good weather”.

Yep. The same where I live, 150 miles or so NNW of Victoria - cloudy with drizzle today.

[The Great RJ]

Now if we all drove electric cars, used he right light bulbs and had wind turbines on our roof tops, King Obama could command the weather and stop the rise of sea level.

[Mike Darancette]

The coming El Niño could finally bring real drought relief to California

The water will all go to the delta smelt.