A Change In El Niño

The term, “El Niño”, refers to the unpredictable phenomenon that occurs over the Pacific Ocean that causes a warming trend. This trend makes thunderstorms stronger and increases rainfall over Asia, Australia, and North and South America. When it is an El Niño year, the US typically sees fewer hurricanes make landfall.

Scientists are now seeing new trends in El Niño that could now not only cause more hurricanes to form more often, but also cause more hurricanes to touch land. This weather pattern is now being called El Niño Modoki. Modoki is a Japanese word that means, “similar, but different”.

Science Daily reports that Modoki is more predict able. The advantage of this is that forecasters at the National Hurricane Center will be able to tell what the hurricane season will bring with more than one month of anticipation.

With hurricane season here, there are steps one can take to help prepare for the flooding that comes with these tropical storms.