Wet (But Warm) Winter: Strong El Niño to Usher in Lots of Rain
Summary
El Niño is back. Its weather patterns come about when warm Pacific waters move toward the coast of South America, thus pushing tropical storms to the East. El Niño brings heavy rainfall and warm temperature to the U.S. The Weather Prediction Center reports that there is a 60% chance of warmer weather in the states, while there is a 70% chance of wetter weather in the South. This storm has the possibility to undo the stretch of drought California has been going through, however, researchers are still unsure on how the final outcome.
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ReflectionI do believe that the storm could do some good in the drought condition, but not completely solve it. While lots of rainfall sounds good initially, floods and other side effects have to be taken into account. I agree with the weather researchers who stated that while the much needed precipitation in Northern California will do some good, the " recovery is likely to be uneven across the West and is also likely to take more than one season of above-average precipitation," (Allen Haynes - Hydrologist). All we can do now is prepare ourselves, and enjoy the rain of El Niño.
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Author:Tia Ghose, Senior Writer
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Source: http://www.livescience.com/52494-strong-el-nino-winter-2015.html |