In the News
New study reveals record heat and rapid cooling in equatorial Atlantic in 2024
Atlantic Niño/Niña events can influence hurricane development, but they can be difficult to predict. A new study sheds light on the oceanic chain reaction that can trigger these events, potentially improving our ability to forecast them.
Study coauthored by PMEL's Mike McPhaden.
Impacts of global warming
After a twelve-month set of climate records driven by global warming it is time to take stock of how we’re impacting the planet as a species. One of the driving forces behind a record year of global warming is the now waning El Niño system. With its counterpart, La Niña, due to pick up in 2024, we ask NOAA oceanographer Mike McPhaden what to expect from this transition and if we are headed for a turbulent hurricane season.
El Niño is flexing its muscles. What does this mean for California?
El Niño is expected to gain strength and flaunt its muscle this winter, and forecasters are closely watching ocean temperatures to determine just how strong the El Niño weather pattern that developed over the summer will get in the coming months. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
THE BIG SWING: El Niño in a changing climate
The prospect of a possible El Niño summer, with the hot and dry conditions it’s known for in Australia, can be frightening. The winter has already been dry in parts of the country. Record summer temperatures in Europe, although not related, have added to a sense of foreboding. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
El Ninos are far costlier than once thought, in the trillions, study says -- and one’s brewing now
The natural burst of El Nino warming that changes weather worldwide is far costlier with longer-lasting expenses than experts had thought, averaging trillions of dollars in damage, a new study found. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
El Niño is getting stronger. That could cost the global economy trillions
A new study found some of the most intense past El Niño events cost the global economy more than $4 trillion over the following years. Mike McPhaden, a senior scientist at NOAA and who was not involved in the research, said the study was “very insightful and provocative.”
El Niño is looming. Here’s what that means for weather and the world.
Earth is under an “El Niño watch” as scientists eye signs that the climate pattern is developing. Its arrival could mean significant impacts worldwide, including a push toward levels of global warming that climate scientists have warned could be devastating. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
What an ominous surge in ocean temperatures means for the planet
Researchers say one reason for the recent spike is the possible onset of an El Niño climate pattern. But, one scientist adds, "The real issue is the rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, which are going up and up and up.” Mike McPhaden is quoted.
Climate models warn of possible ‘super El Niño’ before end of year
Climate models around the globe continue to warn of a potential El Niño developing later this year – a pattern of ocean warming in the Pacific that can increase the risk of catastrophic weather events around the globe. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
La Niña is over. Scientists eye ‘rapid’ switch to planet-warming El Niño
An extended episode of the global climate pattern known as La Niña is over, and scientists suspect a “rapid evolution” to El Niño — known for accelerating planetary warming and inducing extreme weather — could occur this summer. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
Advancing Knowledge of ENSO in a Changing Climate
A new book highlights research progress on El Niño Southern Oscillation dynamics and impacts and how they may change in a warmer world. McPhaden is a co-editor.
Global warming could trigger ancient Indian Ocean El Niño-like climate pattern that would cause destructive floods, storms and droughts around the globe by 2100
Climate change could trigger an ancient El Niño-like pattern in the Indian Ocean that would create extreme weather such as floods, storms and droughts across the globe. McPhaden is quoted.
Climate Change Could Reawaken Indian Ocean El Niño
Global warming is approaching a tipping point that during this century could reawaken an ancient climate pattern similar to El Niño in the Indian Ocean, new research led by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin has found. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
El Nino gone; winter outlook unclear
A weak El Nino went away in July as sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator cooled to within a normal range, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday. Nick Bond is quoted.
Mild El Nino Ahead Part 2
Join Bob Larson and Nick Bond on the Washington State Farm Bureau Report talking about El Nino in spring 2019.