Strong El Nino storms possible for California

California needs 1 ½ times the amount of normal rainfall to pull itself from drought, says Mike Halpert, deputy director of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center. El Nino is an abnormal warming of waters in the equatorial Pacific every four to five years.

The phenomenon occurs when parts of the Pacific Ocean warm above normal, triggering a corresponding reaction in the atmosphere.

Forecasters say there’s a greater than 90 percent chance El Nino will continue through this winter, with its impact felt across the country and around the globe.

According to the report, it will peak in the late fall and early winter months.

But while El Nino is known for its robust southern storms, such an outcome is far from a sure thing, they warn. San Francisco was drenched by its wettest winter in 120 years, and Los Angeles had a year’s worth of rain in just one month.

While the Pacific Ocean has been unusually warm, so has the Indian Ocean, which set records in June and July.

“Is it coming they say El Niño is going to bring us some good, good showers this year we’re hoping for”, said Paula Skittone.

The El Nino event has been likened to Godzilla, a fictional Japanese monster.

Forecasters are warning California could be hit by the strongest El Nino season on record later this year.

Even though forecasts of rain will be welcome in drought-ravaged California, Halpert said it would not be enough to refill the state’s reservoirs.

Ms Griffiths says as El Nino intensifies towards the end of the year, New Zealand will experience a cold and stormy spring, followed by a dry summer for the east of the country. The added precipitation will not affect the drought conditions in the long term or do much to relieve drought conditions in the Pacific Northwest. The effects of the massive El Nino were detrimental; it brought widespread flooding to California and caused landslides, killing 17 people and causing more than half a billion dollars in damage. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.