NBC LA's Brian Zepeda Vazquez reports that NOAA has announced that El Niño is here and examines it's impact on SoCal (our home state).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the early arrival of El Niño, a climatic condition characterized by temporary warming of the waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This year's El Niño formed earlier than usual and has a 56% chance of being strong, potentially impacting weather patterns globally and contributing to hotter temperatures on an already warming Earth.
In the United States, a moderate to strong El Niño in the fall and winter typically brings wetter-than-average conditions to Southern California and drier-than-average conditions to the northern parts of the country. Strong El Niño events have previously led to record-breaking global warmth, and scientists suggest that this year's El Niño, combined with the effects of climate change, could make 2023 one of the warmest years on record.
The arrival of El Niño follows a long-lasting and strong La Niña, which worsened drought in the Western U.S. and increased hurricane activity in the Atlantic.
While El Niño often brings wet conditions to Southern California, it is important to note that not all El Niño events are the same. In the past, there have been instances where even strong El Niño resulted in dry years for Los Angeles. This year's potentially strong El Niño adds to the uncertainty as it follows a rare, three-year-long La Niña and record oceanic warmth driven by climate change.
Currently, Southern California is experiencing cool and cloudy weather, contrasting with warmer-than-average conditions in other parts of the world. The latest outlook from NOAA suggests that cooler-than-normal temperatures will persist in Southern California until the end of the month.
(This article was summarized by ChatGPT)
Source: NBC Los Angeles
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/weather-news/el-nino-southern-california-weather/3168903/
