NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

El Nino in 1997

El Nino in 1998

Images/animations above: In 1997 and 1998 when a very strong El Nino struck, surface waters in the Central equatorial Pacific Ocean warmed. That warming was followed by a nearly 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) warming off the coast of South America. During that time, the trade winds had weakened across the entire Pacific, which allowed warm water to spread toward and remain close to the South American coast. This model simulation shows how the 97/98 El Nino impacted temperature and rainfall patterns around the United States. Large El Ninos, similar to the 97/98 event are known to produce storms in California. They also tend to result in mild winters in the Midwest and reduce the number of Atlantic hurricanes that make landfall in the United States. Click on image to view animation. Credit: NASA

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Rani Chohan
Goddard Space Flight Center