El Nino?

[assmonkey]

Is this good or bad for the winter here? I forget.

 

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/index.html

 

EL NIÑO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION (ENSO)

DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION

issued by

CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER/NCEP

August 5, 2004

Synopsis: El Niño conditions are expected to develop during the next 3 months.

 

Sea surface temperature anomalies increased substantially in the central equatorial Pacific (Niño 3.4 region, Fig. 1) during July 2004, while anomalies greater than +0.5°C persisted in the Niño 4 region. The recent increase and eastward expansion of positive SST anomalies in the central equatorial Pacific indicate the possible early stages of a warm episode. SST anomalies greater than +0.5°C (~1°F) were found between 160°E and 120°W, with anomalies greater than +1°C extending from 180°W eastward to 125°W (Fig. 2). In spite of the anomalous warmth in the central equatorial Pacific during July, there appears to be little or no reflection of that warmth in the pattern of deep convection (precipitation) over the region (Fig. 3).

 

- a s s m n k e y

[Dru]

bad

[DPS]

Depends, do you like to ski and ice climb or rock climb in the winter?

[j_b]

el nino (enso) is warm and dry in the pacific northwest but we are also affected by the pdo (pacific decadal oscillation taking place in the north pacific). we are supposed to be in a cold and wet pdo phase (started ~1998). pdo phases last 20-30 years whereas el nino/la nina last a few years at most.