A potent El Niño this year could help protect the Gulf Coast from hurricanes and eventually deliver much-needed drought relief to Florida and Texas.
The natural climate cycle, which is driven by warmer temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, affects weather patterns worldwide and is known to inhibit the formation of Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms. It also can lead to more precipitation in parts of the United States.
The National Weather Service said last week that El Niño conditions were present, and would strengthen through the end of the year. That’s potentially good news for the Gulf Coast. Much of the region has been affected by drought, and the southern U.S. historically experiences wetter winters when El Niño is around, typically every two to seven years.
“We can’t rely on El Niño to bring us out of drought anytime soon, but that relief would come later in the year,” said Emily Powell, Florida’s assistant state climatologist. “In the near term, we’ve had a pretty good start to our wet season, so hopefully that will continue to bring more consistent and beneficial rainfall.”
