Tag Archive for: El Niño

Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to Zero

/in , /by /Inside Climate Newsby Bob Berwyn

Parts of the world economy may have been on pause during 2020, dampening greenhouse gas emissions for a while. But that didn’t slow the overall buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which reached its highest level in millions of years.

If anything, research during the year showed global warming is accelerating. Symptoms of the fever include off-the-charts heat waves on land and in the oceans, and a hyperactive and destructive Atlantic hurricane season.

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There’s Hope, SoCal: La Niña Doesn’t Always Mean Drier Winter Weather

/in , , /by /Spectrum News 1by Jacqueline Bennett

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to forecasting climate patterns when there’s an El Niño or a La Niña pattern in place.

El Niño and La Niña patterns are part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, which monitors sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

When sea-surface temperatures in this region are above average, it’s called El Niño; when they are below average, it’s called La Niña.

We aren’t talking about major changes in water temperatures but typically more minor swings — usually on the order of plus or minus a degree Celsius — 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit — or less.

There are instances when water temperatures have been as much as eight degrees Fahrenheit above average — a very strong El Niño — but it’s not common.

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La Niña: Is California Heading Into Another Drought?

/in , /by /The Mercury News (Bay Area)by Paul Rogers

Federal scientists say that La Niña — the phenomenon where Pacific Ocean waters off South America are cooler than normal — is underway this winter.

A commonly held assumption among many Californians is that La Niña means a dry winter is coming, and in years when the opposite occurs, El Niño, a wet winter is considered more likely.

So brown lawns and water rationing are just around the corner, right?

Not necessarily. Looking at historical records, there isn’t a clear pattern. In the Bay Area, La Niña years have been drier than normal only about half the time.

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Does La Niña Mean a Drier, Shorter Winter for Southern California?

/in , , /by /KPBS-FM/TVby John Carroll

La Niña is back.

It’s been a couple of years since satellites and buoys detected the mass of cold water forming along the equator. National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Tardy said when you average out the effect of La Niñas over the last few decades, they tend to indicate we’re in for less precipitation than what we’d get in an average winter.

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La Niña May Worsen Southwest Drought This Winter

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Henry Fountain

Climate forecasters said Thursday that the world had entered La Niña, the opposite phase of the climate pattern that also brings El Niño and affects weather across the globe. Among other impacts, La Niña has the potential this winter to worsen what are already severe drought conditions in the American Southwest.

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La Niña is Back. What Does That Mean for California’s Drought?

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

La Niña conditions were observed in the Pacific Ocean last month, and there is a 75% chance the weather pattern will persist through the winter, forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

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