Is it possible for us to predict the strength of El Niño or La Nina in the same way we currently predict whether we are in El Niño or La Nina? Recent research from NOAA's ENSO forecasting team looks directly at this question.
La Niña usually means a drier than average water year for California. So what happened in 2016-2017 when a weak La Niña coincided with a remarkably wet water year?
La Nina conditions appear to have peaked in strength and will likely last through the upcoming winter.
Our ENSO blogger sits down with Ken Takahashi, an ENSO forecaster from Peru, to gab about the recent coastal El Niño and what might be coming up next.