Here Comes El Nino; Good News for US Weather Woes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Relief may be on the way for a weather-weary United States with the predicted warming of the central Pacific Ocean brewing this year that will likely change weather worldwide. But it won’t be for the better everywhere.
The warming, called an El Nino, is expected to lead to fewer Atlantic hurricanes and more rain next winter for drought-stricken California and southern states, and even a milder winter for the nation’s frigid northern tier next year, meteorologists say.
While it could be good news to lessen the southwestern U.S. drought and shrink heating bills next winter in the far north, “worldwide it can be quite a different story,” said North Carolina State University atmospheric sciences professor Ken Kunkel. “Some areas benefit. Some don’t.”
More: Here Comes El Nino; Good News for US Weather Woes - SFGate
El Nino also means big waves for CA surfers with all of the additional storm activity in the Pacific Ocean. We’ve been waiting for a significant El Nino since the last big one in 1997-98.