El Niño

Far out in the Pacific Ocean, the latest El Niño cycle is at an end, and La Niña is expected in the coming months. But what does that mean for Oklahoma's weather?

El Niño helped drive global average temperatures to new records over the last year. Forecasters say it's waning, but that 2024 may still be one for the record books.

A drought has upended life in several South American cities, leading to water rationing and power cuts as well as forest fires.

A dry winter, El Niño and the warmest winter temperatures on record are contributing to ongoing dry conditions across the Midwest.

Warmer sea waters have many far-ranging effects. In the new pattern, some parts of the U.S. could get relief from drought, while others might see fewer hurricanes.

For example, June's average was up 1.62 F. A couple of degrees may not sound like much, but it's persistent warming over decades that alters the atmosphere, the oceans, and most everything else.

This year's extra-large El Nino weather pattern is over, according to federal meteorologists. The pattern brought heavy rain to many parts of the country and was one of the strongest ever.

The weather trail that led to a blizzard in the Mid-Atlantic likely started with a very warm Pacific, scientists suspect. Whether climate shifts will bring more strong El Niños is still uncertain.

We're in the middle of an El Niño that's already caused weather-related disasters and will last at least several more months. Now for the good news.

Rain, and lots of it, is falling in parts of California as the first of several El Niño storms makes its way across the state. In the Los Angeles area, county officials have spent extra to offer more shelter options for its large homeless population.