Summary
El Niño is a natural climate pattern marked by warmer than average ocean temperatures. When the water gets cooler than average, it’s a La Niña. Either phase can have an effect on weather around the globe. But the strength of El Niño or La Niño’S influence on US weather isn’t uniform.
The West and the central US are likely to be drier than normal. This combined with above-normal heat could be a recipe for new or worsening weather. The strengthening La Niña conditions, coupled with ocean temperatures which have been at record highs for over a year, could supercharge the Atlantic hurricane season.
