Pacific remains locked in cool pattern
12.09.08
![Ocean data Ocean data](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090831000647im_/http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/296131main_Jason_1_animated-640.gif)
A cool wedge of lower-than-normal sea-surface heights continues to dominate the tropical Pacific, ringed by a horseshoe of warmer waters. The continuation of this long-term cool phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation stacks the odds against a wetter-than-average winter/spring in the southwestern United States. Image credit: NASA/JPL
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