Weather Watch: What are El Niño and La Niña?
El Niño and La Niña — literally meaning "the boy" and "the girl" in Spanish — are two climate patterns that can have a big effect on weather around the world.
From causing storms to bringing dry weather, these climate "siblings" are certainly a force of nature.But what happens exactly?
El Niño happens when the surface water in the central Pacific Ocean becomes at least 0.5 degrees Celsius warmer than usual. This happens when the winds that usually push warm water from the east of the Pacific to the west become weaker.
This usually happens every two to seven years.
El Niño brings many changes to the weather. The northern US and Canada will get a warmer winter. Places along the west coast of North and South America might see very heavy rain and even flooding. And western Pacific areas like Australia and Indonesia will experience dry weather, and possibly droughts.
La Niña, as you might expect, is the opposite of El Niño. During La Niña, which usually happens every three to five years, the Pacific Ocean's surface water is cooler than normal. This is because — you guessed it — the winds that push warm water across the Pacific Ocean become stronger, pushing the warm water west while colder water comes up from the deep ocean in the east.
La Niña can lead to cooler winters in Canada and the American north, and increased rain in places like Australia.
El Niño and La Niña weather events usually last nine to 12 months. But they can sometimes last for years, affecting things like farming and the world's economy.
Farmers need to know about these events to prepare for crops being affected, and governments and communities need to understand them to plan for dangers like floods and droughts.
#reading_for_today
El Niño and La Niña — literally meaning "the boy" and "the girl" in Spanish — are two climate patterns that can have a big effect on weather around the world.
From causing storms to bringing dry weather, these climate "siblings" are certainly a force of nature.But what happens exactly?
El Niño happens when the surface water in the central Pacific Ocean becomes at least 0.5 degrees Celsius warmer than usual. This happens when the winds that usually push warm water from the east of the Pacific to the west become weaker.
This usually happens every two to seven years.
El Niño brings many changes to the weather. The northern US and Canada will get a warmer winter. Places along the west coast of North and South America might see very heavy rain and even flooding. And western Pacific areas like Australia and Indonesia will experience dry weather, and possibly droughts.
La Niña, as you might expect, is the opposite of El Niño. During La Niña, which usually happens every three to five years, the Pacific Ocean's surface water is cooler than normal. This is because — you guessed it — the winds that push warm water across the Pacific Ocean become stronger, pushing the warm water west while colder water comes up from the deep ocean in the east.
La Niña can lead to cooler winters in Canada and the American north, and increased rain in places like Australia.
El Niño and La Niña weather events usually last nine to 12 months. But they can sometimes last for years, affecting things like farming and the world's economy.
Farmers need to know about these events to prepare for crops being affected, and governments and communities need to understand them to plan for dangers like floods and droughts.
#reading_for_today
