Provide an example how each event- El Nino & La Nina affects the weather in othe

Question

Provide an example how each event- El Nino & La Nina affects the weather in other parts of
the world? Hint- click the FAQ and see the maps. (2-3 sentences)

http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ensoyears.shtml
A. List your birth month and year then read the “Ocean Nino Index Table” overview.
B. Record the index value for your birth month and year (Note the values are three month
averages.
C. Determine if you were born during an El Nino, La Nina or transitional period and record.
D. Name the state of your birth & describe how the weather may have been varied from
average conditions for that region (warmer, colder, wetter, more dry etc). If you are
confused, review the description of the calculation for the index and see the map from
question 3. (2-3 sentences)

Explanation / Answer

El Niño and La Niña means 'little boy' and 'little girl' in Spanish, jointly they make up the ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) cycle. This cycle depicts unusually warm and cool ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific. This process is natural, and El Niño is the warm phase while La Niña is the cold phase.

El Niño and La Niña episodes occur every 3-5 years, and El Niño happens more frequently than La Niña. They may last nine months to couple of years. They typically form in the summer, between June and August and became strongest around December and then fade away between May and July of the next year.

Generally along the West Coast of the US, the eastern Pacific Ocean, water is very cold. This is because the trade winds along the equator in the Pacific drive from east to west and causing upwelling in the east.

During an El Niño event, the trade winds blowing east to west are not as strong as usual, so there is a piling up of warmer water in the eastern part of the ocean. During La Nina event, the trade winds become stronger than usual and the normal process intensifies.

Although they take place in the ocean, the effects of El Niño and La Niña are not restricted to ocean. They have effects on weather patterns on land. In the U.S., winter season during La Niña create drier conditions in the Southwest, wetter conditions in the Northwest and very cold conditions in the Northeast. But El Niño event creates the opposite effects, wetter conditions in the Southwest, drier conditions in the Northwest and stormy, snowy weather in the Northeast.

Other regions of the world, mainly tropical Pacific, are greatly affected by ENSO cycles. During La Niña, Australia and Indonesia are more likely to experience drought but will have heavier-than-normal rainfall during El Niño.

The effects of ENSO cycles include cold spells, drought, heavy rains, severe snowstorms and other weather changes.

A. My birth month and year is 1997-March

Ocean Nino Index for March 1997 is 0.3. I was born in the El-Nino year. In 1997 El-Nino phenomena started during the April month. 1997 was a stronger El-Nino year. The 1997–98 El Nino was considered as one of the most powerful El-Nino events in recorded history, causing extensive droughts, flooding and other natural disasters across the globe. In the US, Southern states and California were overwhelmed by storms, whereas the northern half of the nation exhibited more than normal winter season temperatures and below normal precipitation and snowfall.

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