RETURN OF EL NIÑO YIELDS NEAR NORMAL 2006 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON Nov.
30, 2006 � As the 2006
Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close today, NOAA
scientists announced that seasonal activity was lower than expected
due to the rapid development of El Niño—a
periodic warming of the ocean waters in the central and eastern equatorial
Pacific, which influences pressure and wind patterns across the tropical
Atlantic. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Tropical
Storm Ernesto taken on Aug. 31, 2006, at 10:45 a.m. EDT. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”) “The
development of El Niño conditions by September helps explain
why this Atlantic hurricane season was less active
than predicted,” said Gerry Bell,
NOAA’s lead forecaster on the Atlantic hurricane seasonal outlook
team. “El Niño developed quickly and the atmosphere responded
rapidly, reducing hurricane activity during an otherwise active era
that began in 1995.” (Click NOAA image for larger view
of explanation as to why the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season turned out
less active than predicted. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”) “Getting
a quick handle on El Niño events, which rapidly intensify, is
essential for predicting seasonal hurricane activity,” said Bell.
“The last time we had a rapidly developing El Niño was
during the 2002 hurricane season, which also led to near-normal activity.
NOAA continues to develop and improve climate models to better predict
the onset of El Niño, its impacts on weather patterns in the
United States and its effects on Atlantic hurricane activity.” In 2007 NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation. Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects. Relevant Web Sites NOAA 2006 Atlantic Hurricane Season Reports NOAA El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion NOAA's Role in El Niño Research, Monitoring and Prediction NOAA Climate Prediction Center NOAA: El Niño Makes a Comeback Media
Contact:
|