The rise and return of a strengthening El Nino
El Nino has arrived, and it continues to strengthen, with increasing potential to become a powerhouse by Autumn and Winter.
Computer models and meteorologists are growing more confident that a strong El Nino will develop by this Autumn and Winter, with some computer modeling even suggesting that it could rival the 1997-98 “Super El Nino” which remains the strongest on record.
El Nino refers to the periodic warming of waters in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific, which has a cascading effect on weather systems around the globe. In normal years, the atmospheric circulation allows trade winds to converge around the equator in the Pacific, blowing from east to west. But this year, trade winds are pushing in the opposite direction, bursting from west to east. This helps transport warmer waters, which typically lie in the Western Pacific, farther east — and dramatically changes the atmospheric circulation.