What’s Going On?
El Niño is the periodic warming of water in the Pacific Ocean every few years. When it occurs, it means more energy is available for storms to form there. El Niño also affects wind shear, which is when air currents at a lower altitude blow in a different direction from winds higher in the atmosphere. Strong wind shear makes it harder for hurricanes to form.
El Niño weakens shear in the Pacific and strengthens it in the Atlantic, which explains this year’s hurricane season. The Pacific saw a record season, with 24 tropical storms and 15 hurricanes. This year saw the strongest hurricane ever measured (in terms of sustained windspeed), Patricia, with winds of 200 mph (325 km/h). That October storm killed 12 and caused damage as far as Mexico to Texas.
But in the Atlantic, there have been 11 tropical storms and 4 hurricanes so far, with only two major hurricanes. That’s below the 30-year average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
No comments:
Post a Comment