EVER WONDER?
What causes El Niño?
What is El Niño? 🌎
El Niño happens when part of the Pacific Ocean becomes warmer than usual. This can change weather all around the world.
Normally, strong winds push warm water across the Pacific Ocean toward Asia and Australia. Colder water then rises near South America to take its place.
But every few years, those winds become weaker. When that happens, the warm water spreads back toward South America.
The warm water heats the air above it, which can change rainfall, storms, and temperatures in many parts of the world.
El Niño usually happens every 2-7 years and often lasts about 9-12 months.
What happens during El Niño? 🌊
The effects can be different each time, but El Niño can cause:
Big storms and flooding in places like California and Peru ⛈️
Drier weather and droughts in places like Australia and Indonesia 🌵
Fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean and more hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean 🌪️
Hotter temperatures in many parts of the world 🥵
Why does it seem like El Niño is getting worse?
Here’s what scientists know:
Earth’s oceans are getting warmer overall
Warmer ocean water can make some El Niño events stronger
Strong El Niño events can bring bigger storms, hotter heat waves, and more flooding.
These stronger weather events affect more people, so they get a lot of attention.
Why is it called El Niño? 🎄
“El Niño” is Spanish for “the little boy.”
In the 1600’s, fishermen near Peru and Ecuador noticed that unusually warm ocean water often appeared around Christmas. So, they named it after baby Jesus!