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COASTAL WATERS WARM, BUT LA NIÑA STILL LINGERS
According to Kousky, water temperatures along the coasts of Ecuador and northern Peru are typically at their warmest during the months of March and April. While water temperatures of this region have recently risen above normal, subsurface ocean temperatures remain near or below normal. Ocean surface winds will increase over the next several weeks, cooling the surface water temperatures again. "El Niño, as the term is used today, reflects a warming of waters in the equatorial Pacific from the South American coast westward to near Indonesia," said Kousky. "It is this warming that causes changes in the jet streams, resulting in significant shifts in weather patterns worldwide." El Niño can cause increased
rainfall and destructive flooding in the southern tier of the
U.S., throughout most of Indonesia, and in coastal sections of
northern Peru and Ecuador. Other areas, such as northeast Brazil,
southern Africa, northeastern Australia and Hawaii, experience
reduced rainfall and even drought during El Niño. Global
weather patterns associated with El Niño impact every
phase of human existence, including agriculture, transportation,
construction, heating and cooling, and water supply.
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