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EL
NIŅO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION (ENSO)
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| El
Niņo is
a term originally used to describe the appearance of warm (surface)
water from time to time in the eastern equatorial Pacific region along
the coasts of Peru and Ecuador. |
La
Niņa is defined as cooler than normal sea-surface
temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific ocean that
impact global weather patterns. La Niņa conditions recur every few
years and can persist for as long as two years. |
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Latest
El Niņo/La Niņo Advisory
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| The
EL NIŅO/Southern Oscillation amplifies certain climate driven
events in Florida during strong
El Niņo/La Niņo years. The effects listed below should be used only as
indicators of increasing or decreasing threats. This
does not mean that severe weather, hurricanes, or other damaging weather
events will or will not occur. |
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Florida El Niņo Effects:
- Rainfall - Above average rainfall
- Severe Weather - During El Niņo
the jet stream is oriented from west to east over the northern Gulf
of Mexico and Northern Florida. Thus this region is most susceptible
to severe weather
- Temperatures - Below normal temperatures
- Winter Storms - Increased cyclogenesis (low pressure systems)
in the Gulf of Mexico
- Hurricanes - El Niņo almost
always reduces the frequency of storms.
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Florida La
Niņa Effects:
- Rainfall -Generally dry conditions prevail
during La Niņa's in late fall, winter and early spring.
- Wildfires - Increased risk of
Wildfires in Spring/summer months.
- Temperatures - Temperatures average
slightly above normal during La Niņa events.
- Hurricanes
- According to research, the chances for the continental U.S.
and the Caribbean Islands to experience hurricane activity increases
substantially during La Niņa.
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