What is El Niño and La Niña? They are opposite phases of a natural climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean called ENSO. El Niño means the eastern Pacific is warmer than usual, while La Niña means it is cooler than usual.
Simple explanation:
El Niño: the trade winds weaken, warm water spreads east toward the Americas, and weather patterns shift. This often makes parts of the northern U.S. and Canada warmer and drier, while the southern U.S. can get wetter.
La Niña: the trade winds get stronger, warm water is pushed west, and cold water rises near the Americas. This often brings the opposite kind of weather pattern, with a cooler, wetter North and a warmer, drier South in the U.S..
Easy way to remember
Think of it like a tug-of-war in the Pacific:
El Niño = warm water moves east.
La Niña = cool water dominates the eastern Pacific.
A one-sentence version for students: El Niño is the Pacific’s warm phase, and La Niña is its cool phase, and both can change weather around the world.
How climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of El Niño and La Niña events?
How accurate is this prediction?
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