Climate scientists: Effects of El Niño could produce more winter storms this season

Scientists say El Niño is a natural climate pattern that typically comes every two to seven years, which brings warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures to the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

News 12 Staff

•

Sep 27, 2023, 8:21 PM

•

Updated 419 days ago

‘Sandy was a wake-up call.’ Jersey Shore resident reflects on 12 years since superstorm

22ds ago

1:58

Edison Township puts ban on fireworks ahead of Diwali festival due to dry conditions

25ds ago

LIVE BLOG: News 12 weather updates

4ds ago

2:16

What's up in the November sky?

11ds ago

1:25

NJ November check in: What can we expect, on average, for the month ahead?

18ds ago

1:41

Jersey Shore visitors soak in 80-degree weather in Asbury Park on Halloween

19ds ago

1:56

‘Sandy was a wake-up call.’ Jersey Shore resident reflects on 12 years since superstorm

22ds ago

1:58

Edison Township puts ban on fireworks ahead of Diwali festival due to dry conditions

25ds ago

Climate scientists say that the effects of El Niño have the potential to impact this winter’s weather expectations.

Scientists say it is a natural climate pattern that typically comes every two to seven years, which brings warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures to the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

“The effects of El Niño are pretty pronounced across a lot of the continent, and really, a lot of the world,” says UCLA scientist Dr. Daniel Swain.

Swain says that El Niño typically leads to warmer and drier conditions in northern sections of the United States, with cooler and wetter weather across southern stretches of the U.S.

Scientists say that El Niño will likely mean more winter storms this January through March.

Swain says that the abnormally warm weather across the rest of the world’s oceans could change how El Niño impacts the U.S.

“The global oceans outside of the El Niño zone in the tropics are also extremely warm. And so that combination is something we haven't seen before,” he says.