Images related to Muted La Niña Follows Potent El Niño

La Niña Makes a Quiet Return
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La Niña Makes a Quiet Return

Cooler than normal conditions prevail in the central and eastern Pacific, but the event is so far considered weak.

Published Dec 22, 2017

Image of the Day Water Remote Sensing

El Niño Should Be Near Its Peak
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El Niño Should Be Near Its Peak

Past events suggest the phenomenon winds down after December and January. But will this year follow the pattern?

Published Jan 22, 2016

Image of the Day Heat Water

El Niño Strengthening
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El Niño Strengthening

With each passing month, 2015 looks more and more like 1997.

Published Oct 13, 2015

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El Niño Conditions Are Growing Stronger
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El Niño Conditions Are Growing Stronger

Weakening trade winds are allowing warm water to move east across the Pacific in a telltale pattern.

Published Aug 5, 2015

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Weak El Niño, but Hints of Pacific Change
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Weak El Niño, but Hints of Pacific Change

Ocean conditions are not likely to help drought-stressed regions this spring. However, some broader changes might be coming in the Pacific.

Published Mar 25, 2015

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Is El Niño Developing?
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Is El Niño Developing?

Conditions in May 2014 look similar to those in May 1997, a year that brought one of the most potent El Niño events of the 20th century.

Published May 14, 2014

Image of the Day Water

El Niño Strengthens in November 2009
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El Niño Strengthens in November 2009

These color-coded images show the strengthening of El Niño between October and November 2009. In the November image, warm waters (indicated in red) have spread across the Pacific.

Published Dec 11, 2009

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La Niña comes to a close
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La Niña comes to a close

After appearing for two consecutive winters, La Niña appears to be taking some time off.

Published May 4, 2012

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Kelvin Wave Renews El Niño
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Kelvin Wave Renews El Niño

A trio of globes of sea surface height anomalies shows a deep pulse of warm water—a Kelvin wave—crossing the Pacific Ocean in February 2010. Kelvin waves strengthen and maintain El Niño episodes.

Published Mar 21, 2010

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El Nino Conditions Set in Across Pacific Ocean
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El Nino Conditions Set in Across Pacific Ocean

A patch of warmer than average ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific on July 26, 2009, revealed the onset of El Niño conditions.

Published Jul 28, 2009

Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Water