Most weather enthusiasts, heck, most people walking on a city sidewalk have heard of El Niño. They might know some details, at least the fact that it is a weather phenominon–maybe even that it is an ocean current. And then they blame everything on El Niño.
La Niña is less well known, but she gets around. And boaters need to be mindful of both her and her more popular brother because they affect temperature, winds and precipitation. Depending on where you are and which event is unfolding, seafaring conditions may be better–or much worse.
El Niño and La Niña are disruptions of the normal ocean currents and atmospheric winds in the tropical Pacific Ocean that have global climate implications. El Niño and La Niña events typically last 12 months, beginning in the summer and peaking during the winter and spring.
NOAAEl Niño's typical seasonal impacts.
SHE'S HERE
Moderate La Niña conditions are right now occurring in the tropical Pacific Ocean and are expected to continue into next year. Details of current weather conditions can be found at the National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Prediction Center website (see link).
It is the typical warm and dry conditions found in the southern U.S. during a La Niña event that will likely create great boating opportunities this winter in the Gulf of Mexico and off the southeastern coast.
Stormy conditions can be expected in the Pacific Northwest. And in the eastern tropical Pacific, the colder deep waters that rise to the surface bring nutrients and increased aquatic activity. That's why fishermen typically love the onset of La Niña.
But the biggest effect of El Niño and La Niña events is their impact on the Atlantic hurricane season. El Niño inhibits the formation of hurricanes, while La Niña promotes greater than average hurricane seasons. The current La Niña event may impact the 2008 hurricane season by causing greater hurricane activity.
DISRUPTIVE EVENTS
The name El Niño means "The Little Boy" or "Christ Child" in Spanish. Fishermen off the Pacific coast of South America first used it to describe the unusually warm water that would form there around Christmas every three to five years. During an El Niño, ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean rise above average, while surface winds blowing east to west relax or may even blow in the opposite direction.
The term La Niña was used to indicate opposite conditions. During a La Niña, also called a cold episode, ocean temperatures fall below average and winds blow stronger from east to west in the tropical Pacific.
