El Nino Watch Issued- What is El Nino?

Courtesy of the NWS

UPDATE 12/9/12: The NWS now forecasts only Neutral conditions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association have gone into El Nino Watch, which means that El Nino Conditions are likely in the near future (this winter). El Nino is when the Pacific Ocean near South America is experiencing warmer than average temperatures, while La Nina is when the temperatures of the Pacific Ocean near South America are cooler than average.

Courtesy of the NWS

Well, you may ask, how do El Nino and La Nina affect SoCal?

During La Nina conditions, the the Pacific Northwest often receives a large amount of rainfall and cool temperatures during the winter, while SoCal usually stays dry (leads to drought when La Nina lingers for long periods of time).

During El Nino conditions, the southern part of the United States (including SoCal), receives above average amounts of rainfall with an increased probability of severe weather. This is because the Pacific Jet Stream hovers over the southern part of the United States (instead of being more variable) bringing more storms systems south to SoCal.

So this winter, if you live in SoCal, prepare for cooler temperatures and more rain, this winter.

Information retrieved from:
www.noaawatch.gov