In the News
'Monster' El Nino a chance later this year, pointing to extended dry times
Relief for Australia's drought-hit regions could be a long way off, with climate influences in the Pacific and Indian oceans tilting towards drier conditions and a "monster" El Nino a possibility by year's end. Mike McPhaden is featured.
El Nino nearly a sure bet now for the Northwest
Odds are increasing that an El Nino will form, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday, bolstering earlier forecasts that winter will be mild in the Northwest. Nick Bond is quoted.
The Pacific Northwest Might Experience a Warmer Than Average Winter, New Forecast Says
Portland experienced record-breaking heat this summer, and it looks like winter could be unusually warm as well. A new winter weather forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that an El Niño—or a warming of sea-surface temperatures—is likely to develop on the Pacific Ocean in the coming months. An El Niño, Oregon Public Broadcasting first reported, could make for a warmer, drier Pacific Northwest winter. Nick Bond is interviewed.
Long-range forecast predicts mild winter for Pacific Northwest
If the long-range forecast from the National Weather Service is right, we have a mild winter ahead of us. The primary driver for the winter outlook is the emergence of El Nino. That's a warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean that tends to bring mild winters to the Pacific Northwest. Nick Bond is featured.
Ocean temperatures rise, boosting odds of El Nino ahead
Pacific Ocean temperatures are rising along the equator, a signal that winter likely will be warmer than normal in the Northwest. Federal climatologists peg the odds that an El Nino will form in the next couple of months at 70 to 75 percent, a 5 percent increase since mid-September. The warm ocean should influence late winter weather, but El Ninos historically have had little effect on snow accumulation in Washington before Jan. 1, State Climatologist Nick Bond said Monday. Nick Bond is quoted.
El Nino winter could mean warmer temps, less snow in Inland Northwest
El Nino winters often bring warmer than normal temperatures and below normal snowfall. That would mean warmer and drier temperatures for the months of December, January and February in the Inland Northwest. Nick Bond is mentioned.
Climatologist talks El Nino, the Blob, climate change
Imagine a hangover that lasts for years. In 2013 and 2014, a mass of warm water formed off the West Coast. The Blob, so named by Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond, persisted through 2015 and 2016 after a massive El Nino event hit and kept it alive. Temperatures inside the Blob were recorded at nearly 3 degrees C warmer than normal. Nick Bond is interviewed.
El Nino winter predicted for Pacific Northwest
The Washington state climatologist explains what an El Nino winter could look like for the Pacific Northwest. Nick Bond is interviewed.
Last year was warmest ever that didn't feature an El Niño, report finds
Last year was the warmest ever recorded on Earth that didn’t feature an El Niño, a periodic climatic event that warms the Pacific Ocean, according to the annual state of the climate report by 500 climate scientists from around the world, overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) and released by the American Meteorological Society. Greg Johnson is quoted.
El Nino in the Forecast Pt 2
Nick Bond joins Bob Larson on the Fruit Grower Report for part 2 of 2 on El Nino in the Forecast.
El Nino in the Forecast Part 1
Nick Bond joins Bob Larson on the Fruit Grower Report for part 1 of 2 on El Nino in the Forecast
Climatologists bet on El Nino, warm months ahead
The odds now strongly favor an El Nino forming in the Pacific Ocean, federal climatologists said Thursday, tilting the long-range weather outlook toward a warm 2018-19 winter in the Northwest. Nick Bond is quoted.
NOAA sees warm months ahead for Northwest
The Northwest’s late spring, summer and fall likely will be hotter and drier than usual as the Pacific Ocean warms up, leading toward a possible El Nino next winter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday. Nick Bond is quoted.
Scientists just found a surprising possible consequence from a very small amount of global warming
Even if we meet our most ambitious climate goal — keeping global temperatures within a strict 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degree Fahrenheit) of their preindustrial levels — there will still be consequences, scientists say. And they’ll last for years after we stop emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. New research suggests that extreme El Niño events — which can cause intense rainfall, flooding and other severe weather events in certain parts of the world — will occur more and more often as long as humans continue producing greenhouse gas emissions.
El Niño Again? This Is Why It’s Hard to Tell
The tropical Pacific Ocean is once again carrying on a will-it-or-won’t-it flirtation with an El Niño event, just a year after the demise of one of the strongest El Niños on record. The odds right now are about even for an El Niño to develop, frustrating forecasters stuck in the middle of what is called the spring predictability barrier. During this time, model forecasts aren’t as good as seeing into the future, in part because of the very nature of the El Niño cycle.