el nino

[Daniel Glaeske]

Andrea Knebel wrote:
> 
<snip>
> 
> How much the el nino effects our world climate is also not really
> known, I guess. Is it really unusually warm in the US this year? Or
> do we just feel like it is?
> 
> About Germany, I can say that this year the winter is mild and the
> last winters were much colder but that happens often  and so must not
> be in connection with el nino.
> 

Andrea,

I think that el nino affects the Pacific basin much more than anywhere
else.  Here in the northern plains we have had exceptionally unusual
weather.  Normally snow covers the ground from some time in November
through March and melts in April.  We had no snow cover at Christmas for
the first time in 25 years.  The average daily high here in Williston,
North Dakota for February ranges from -10 C to - 14 C but this year,
I've averaged out the high temperatures (excluding Saturdays - we don't
get a paper on Saturdays) and the average high has been + 1 C. 
Precipitation is below average.  Meanwhile, on the southwestern coast of
the continent, storm frequency is up as is precipitation.  All this was
predicted last year based on an el nino event. 

I'm no meteorologist, but all the effects are from a typical el nino
event - perhaps even a bit more dramatic than the last major el nino, in
the early '80's.  If the coast of Chile has not been dramatically
affected, maybe the warming has developed further off coast and is
affecting them less. 

We are certainly feeling its effects here.  I, for one, though, won't
complain about its effects (at least until seeding time).

Daniel