This late fall and winter, residents of Northport may be in for an unusual weather pattern, thanks to El Niño. El Niño, a climate phenomenon characterized by warmer temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, has far-reaching effects that can significantly influence our winter weather.
These warmer temperatures in the Pacific Ocean make a low-pressure system form in and around South America, which will make it rain more there. It will be cooler in these Southern areas, like Florida and Texas. Instead of average temperature in the 70’s, there would be average temperatures in the 60’s. It would also be wetter down south, making it rain a lot. Tornado season will also become more and more extreme.
But up North, like right here in Northport, it’s the complete opposite. It is warmer and dryer than normal. That means little to no snow in some areas. Dry seasons mean that we could have no precipitation for weeks or even months, creating a higher possibility for wildfires.
If you or your family like to ski or snowboard, you might want to go further North because the snow might not be the best. This is because El Niño is just one part of the larger climate picture. Another weather system, La Niña, has the opposite effect. It shifts the low-pressure system toward Australia, resulting in warmer and drier conditions in the South and colder, wetter conditions in the North.
El Niño can also impact other things related to weather, like making the Pacific hurricanes stronger and the Atlantic hurricanes less strong. The Pacific has seen 11 total hurricanes ( or cyclones ) this season, seven of them became hurricanes, and five of them were major hurricanes. On the other hand, in the Atlantic, there were 14 named storms, 4 hurricanes, and only 2 major hurricanes.
This shows that El Niño has diminished the amount of hurricanes and major ones by a lot. While this is good for us on the East Coast, on the West Coast we saw something that we have never really seen before: a hurricane/tropical storm hit California during the summer.
This is where global warming comes into play as well. As we know, global warming has been occurring for a while now and we know that it has an effect on the weather. It is making storms stronger and more powerful, while also creating more rain, more wind, and more heat. However, it also led to less snow and colder temperatures in some places.
The impact of global warming on our climate is undeniable, and the interplay between El Niño, La Niña, and global warming can have unpredictable consequences. Although it may have seemed distant in years before, it is almost certain that Northport will experience some weather changes as the weather cools down due to this. As we navigate these changes, it is essential for all of us to take steps to protect and preserve our planet. Together, we can work towards a more sustainable future and mitigate the effects of climate change.
