Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies for the week centred on Jan. 6. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

U.S. forecaster sees El Nino conditions weakening

Reuters — The El Nino phenomenon currently affecting weather is expected to weaken during the Northern Hemisphere spring and transition to normal conditions by late spring or early summer, a U.S. government weather forecaster said Thursday. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, was in line in its monthly forecast […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. grain shippers await El Nino dryness after unseasonable flood

Chicago | Reuters –– The clear Midwestern skies that El Nino cycles typically bring could be a boon to the U.S. heartland this spring, after recent record rain levels soaked the region, swamping farmland and disrupting grain export shipments on swollen rivers. Farm fields across the Midwest are saturated, according to the U.S. Department of […] Read more



This graphic shows monthly temperature anomalies across the U.S. during strong El Niño years — blue/green indicates cooler-than-average temperatures while red/orange are for warmer-than-average temperatures. While the map doesn’t cover Canada, it is fairly easy to imagine or extrapolate the data northward to cover most of the southern and central Prairies. Looking at the different maps, what really jumps out are the well-above-average December temperatures across the northern states. These warmer-than-average temperatures look to continue right through to the end of winter.

Dreaming of a warm Christmas? El Niño may grant your wish

Winter is still winter, but history says the El Niño 
phenomenon brings above-average temperatures


Reading Time: 3 minutes After a fairly mild first half of November, things have turned cooler and a little more wintery. While it’s beginning to look like winter might have moved in for good, the long-range models seem to be really hanging their hats on El Niño bringing more above-average temperatures in December and right through the rest of […] Read more



(PortSeattle.org)

Cereals North America: Shift to La Nina may hurt yields

Winnipeg | CNS Canada –– El Nino weather patterns are typically beneficial to North American grain yields, but cut into the production prospects of key Eastern Hemisphere demand markets, according to presenters at this week’s Cereals North America conference. However, an expected shift toward La Nina conditions by late 2016 could see North American grain yields […] Read more


U.S. winter weather to see El Nino’s influence

U.S. winter weather to see El Nino’s influence

Tampa | Reuters — Much of the U.S. South can expect a cooler and wetter winter, while warmer-than-usual temperatures are likely across many northern and western states, as a strong El Nino weather pattern shaped a government weather outlook issued Thursday. More rain and snow are likely across the nation’s southern regions, extending from central […] Read more