Written by Sig Silber
After the next few days, we expect a calmer more seasonal pattern to prevail. It will be less amplified so the ability to accurately predict the timing of things will be somewhat reduced. The question of whether or not there is a Kelvin Wave #4 of any consequence remains. We should know more in a week. Generally, the satellite imagery lags a bit and the Westerly Wind Burst (WWB) was a recent event and may not be over so it takes a while to quantify the impacts. This is important as it looks like the NOAA ENSO forecast is coming into agreement with the JAMSTEC forecast and another Kelvin Wave could change that for next Winter. So we are paying close attention to that.
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NOAA CFS.v2 forecast. NOAA quietly downgrades the outlook for El Nino.
Kelvin Wave #4?
It is possible. I still do not have any graphics that show it but there are reports that it has occurred. It is has been generated, how strong it will be remains to be determined. It does not yet show up definitively in any graphics I have. If it is going to happen it should show up within two more weeks, probably one week.
Here is why it is important.
Tropical Activity
Recent CONUS Weather
Here is the recent history of the overall atmospheric pattern for North America and the North Pacific.
And now looking at the recent weather.
Summary of the Forecast
We now provide our usual summary first for temperature and then for precipitation of small images of the four short-term maps. You can click on these maps to see larger versions. The easiest way to return to this report is by using the “Back Arrow” usually found top left corner of your screen to the left of the URL Box. Larger maps are available later in the article with the discussion and analysis.
Sometimes it is useful to see the evolution of the forecasts from the 1 – 5 Day, 6 – 10 Day (which NOAA considers to be Week-1 of their intermediate forecast) , 8 – 14 Day (which NOAA considers to be Week-2) and Week 3 and 4 (which after being issued overlap with Week-2). I do not have comparable maps for the Day 1 – 5 forecast in the same format as the three maps we generally work with. What I am showing for temperature is the Day 3 Maximum Temperature and for precipitation the five-day precipitation: the latter being fairly similar in format to the subsequent set of the maps I present each week but showing absolute QPF (inches of precipitation) not QPF deviation from Normal.
First Temperature
This shows magnitude rather than the probability of being higher or lower than Normal and shows the middle day of the five day period. | From Week -1 to Week – 2 the pattern is pretty much stagnant but deamplifying. The transition from the 8 – 14 day forecast shown above to the week 3/4 forecast which was updated on May 24, 2019 does not seem feasible. The cool anomaly may not happen. |
And then Precipitation
A. Now we will begin with our regular approach and focus on Alaska and CONUS (all U.S.. except Hawaii).
Water Vapor.
This view of the past 24 hours provides a lot of insight as to what is happening.
You can see from this animation that there is a West Coast storm. It then triggers severe weather in the Great Plains.
Tonight, Monday May 27, 2019, as I am looking at the above graphic, you see the Low impacting the Central Rocky Mountains and some convective Activity further east. Some of the energy for the Great Plains convective activity is coming from the Pacific across Mexico.
We now discuss Atmospheric Rivers i.e. thick concentrated movements of water moisture. More explanation on Atmospheric Rivers can be found by clicking here or if you want more theoretical information by clicking here. The idea is that we have now concluded that moisture often moves via narrow but deep channels in the atmosphere (especially when the source of the moisture is over water) rather than being very spread out. This raises the potential for extreme precipitation events. You can convert this graphic into a flexible forecasting tool by clicking here. One can obtain views of different geographical areas by clicking here.
The graphic we had been using was not updating so, for the time being, we added another version which is updating. It does not cover all of CONUS but it does provide a very good view of what is happening in the Pacific and the North American West Coast. But the original graphic we were using is not working so we are using both.
And this graphic provides a better view of all of CONUS.
And Now the Day One and Two CONUS Forecasts (These graphics have recently been revised by NOAA and I think greatly improved).
Day One CONUS Forecast | Day Two CONUS Forecast |
These graphics update and can be clicked on to enlarge but my brief comments are only applicable to what I see on Monday night prior to publishing. | |
We no longer see snow. We see more convective activity. |
Additional useful forecasts are available from our Severe Weather Report which this week can be found here and always can be located via this directory.
60 Hour Forecast Animation
Here is a national animation of weather fronts and precipitation forecasts with four 6-hour projections of the conditions that will apply covering the next 24 hours and a second day of two 12-hour projections the second of which is the forecast for 48 hours out and to the extent it applies for 12 hours, this animation is intended to provide coverage out to 60 hours. Beyond 60 hours, additional maps are available at links provided below. The explanation for the coding used in these maps, i.e. the full legend, can be found here although it includes some symbols that are no longer shown in the graphic because they are implemented by color coding.
The below makes it easier to focus on a particular day. The best way to read them is from left to right on the first row and then from left to right in the row below it.
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What is Behind the Forecasts? Let us try to understand what NOAA is looking at when they issue these forecasts.
Below is a graphic which highlights the forecast surface Highs and the Lows re air pressure on Day 7. The Day 3 forecast can be found here. the Day 6 Forecast can be found here.
The weak Aleutian Low with surface central pressure of 1012 hPa is forecast on Day 7 to be over Alaska but it extends southeast into Western Canada where it is actually a deeper Low at 2004 hPa. There is an Arctic High with surface central pressure of 1024 hPa. There is a Hudson Bay High which is really an extension of the Arctic High. The Hawaiian High has surface central pressure of 1024 hPa. And again there is an inverted Trough trough in the Sea of Cortez extending into the Southwest almost like what we see during the Monsoon. We again see the Dry Line between New Mexico and Texas. The Bermuda High has seasonally adjusted to impact the Southeast and has surface central pressure of at least 1028 hPa. It is forecast to impact to some degree almost half of CONUS.
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Looking at the current activity of the Jet Stream. The below graphics and the above graphics are very related.
Not all weather is controlled by the Jet Stream (which is a high altitude phenomenon) but it does play a major role in steering storm systems especially in the winter The sub-Jet Stream level intensity winds shown by the vectors in this graphic are also very important in understanding the impacts north and south of the Jet Stream which is the higher-speed part of the wind circulation and is shown in gray on this map. In some cases however a Low-Pressure System becomes separated or “cut off” from the Jet Stream. In that case it’s movements may be more difficult to predict until that disturbance is again recaptured by the Jet Stream. This usually is more significant for the lower half of CONUS with the cutoff lows being further south than the Jet Stream. Some basic information on how to interpret the impact of jet streams on weather can be found here and here. I have not provided the ability to click to get larger images as I believe the smaller images shown are easy to read.
Putting the Jet Stream into Motion and Looking Forward a Few Days Also
To see how the pattern is projected to evolve, please click here. In addition to the shaded areas which show an interpretation of the Jet Stream, one can also see the wind vectors (arrows) at the 300 Mb level.
This longer animation shows how the jet stream is crossing the Pacific and when it reaches the U.S. West Coast is going every which way.
Click here to gain access to a very flexible computer graphic. You can adjust what is being displayed by clicking on “earth” adjusting the parameters and then clicking again on “earth” to remove the menu. Right now it is set up to show the 500 hPa wind patterns which is the main way of looking at synoptic weather patterns. This amazing graphic covers North and South America. It could be included in the Worldwide weather forecast section of this report but it is useful here re understanding the wind circulation patterns.
500 MB Mid-Atmosphere View
The map below is the mid-atmosphere 7-Day chart rather than the surface highs and lows and weather features. In some cases it provides a clearer less confusing picture as it shows only the major pressure gradients. This graphic auto-updates so when you look at it you will see NOAA’s latest thinking. The speed at which these troughs and ridges travel across the nation will determine the timing of weather impacts. This graphic auto-updates I think every six hours and it changes a lot. Thinking about clockwise movements around High Pressure Systems and counterclockwise movements around Low Pressure Systems provides a lot of information.
Here is the whole suite of similar maps for Days 3, 4, 5, 6 and repeated for Day 7. It is quite complicated. Read from left to right first row and then left to right on the second row. The maps resemble another set of maps presented earlier but those showed the surface pattern and this is the 500 MB pattern.
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Here is the seven-day cumulative precipitation forecast. More information on how to interpret this graphic is available here.
Four – Week Outlook: Looking Beyond Days 1 to 5, What is the Forecast for the Following Three + Weeks?
I use “EC” in my discussions although NOAA sometimes uses “EC” (Equal Chances) and sometimes uses “N” (Normal) to pretty much indicate the same thing although “N” may be more definitive.
First – Temperature
6 – 10 Day Temperature Outlook issued today (Note the NOAA Level of Confidence in the Forecast Released on May 27, 2019 was 3 out of 5
8 – 14 Day Temperature Outlook issued today (Note the NOAA Level of Confidence in the Forecast Released on May 27, 2019 was 2 out of 5).
–
Looking further out.
Now – Precipitation
6 – 10 Day Precipitation Outlook Issued Today (Note the NOAA Level of Confidence in the Forecast Released on May 27, 2019 was 3 out of 5)
8 – 14 Day Precipitation Outlook Issued Today (Note the NOAA Level of Confidence in the Forecast Released on May 27, 2019 was 2 out of 5)
Looking further out.
Here is the 6 – 14 Day NOAA discussion released today May 27, 2019
6-10 DAY OUTLOOK FOR JUN 02 – 06 2019
Ensemble means from the ECMWF, NCEP GEFS, and Canadian ensemble prediction systems are in good agreement on the circulation pattern during the 6-10 day period. The manual blend of these ensemble means indicates positive 500-hPa height anomalies generally over the entire CONUS. Ridging and associated positive 500-hPa height anomalies is approaching the Pacific Coast and the Northwest CONUS in the 6-10 day period forecast. Troughing and associated weaker positive 500-hPa height anomalies, along with some near-average 500-hPa heights, are predicted over the Southwest. Near zonal flow is forecast across the north-central CONUS, and weak troughing is forecast over the East and off of the Atlantic Coast in the Southeast. A ridge and above average 500-hPa heights are forecast over the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley. Positive 500-hPa height anomalies are predicted over western Alaska and most of mainland Alaska, and negative height anomalies are forecast over the Alaska Panhandle, ahead of a predicted trough and cyclonic flow over the North Pacific and the Gulf of Alaska. These mean circulation features over the North American region appear to some extent in each of the recent ensemble means of the ECMWF, GEFS and Canadian models. Similar circulation patterns can be seen in the high-resolution runs of the NCEP and ECMWF models, with more amplified 500-hPa height anomalies.
Above normal temperatures are most likely for much of the western CONUS under positive 500-hPa height anomalies, and across the Northern Plains under zonal flow ahead of the predicted ridge. Above normal temperatures are also most likely for the southeastern CONUS from the Southern Plains across the Central and Lower Mississippi Valley, and from the Ohio Valley southward across the Southeast region, under a predicted ridge and above normal 500-hPa heights. Below normal mean temperatures are slightly more likely for parts of northwestern Washington state ahead of predicted troughing over the Gulf of Alaska. Below normal temperatures also are likely over parts of the Great Lakes region. Above normal temperatures are more probable over the Aleutian Islands and the western and northern Alaska mainland under above normal mid-level heights, while below normal temperatures are more likely for southeastern Alaska and the Alaska Panhandle, under negative 500-hPa height anomalies.
Troughing to the southwest of the CONUS leads to enhanced probabilities of above normal precipitation over parts of Southern California and for parts of the Great Basin into the Central Rockies. Southerly moisture flow from the Tropics is focused into Arizona and West Texas, around a predicted positive 500-hPa height anomaly. This moisture flow leads to enhanced probabilities for above normal precipitation from parts of the Southwest into the Great Plains and across the Upper and Central Mississippi Valley, where precipitation may be enhanced by frontal activity, as well as eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Coast from southern New Jersey to northeast Florida. Below normal precipitation is most likely for the Northwest CONUS under a predicted ridge. Below normal precipitation is favored for southwestern Alaska under predicted northerly flow, and above normal precipitation is more likely for eastern Alaska, including the Alaska Panhandle, ahead of an area of predicted low pressure and cyclonic flow.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE FOR THE 6-10 DAY PERIOD: Average, 3 out of 5, due to good agreement between models and tools, offset by uncertainty related to predicted weak 500-hPa height anomalies.
8-14 DAY OUTLOOK FOR JUN 04 – 10 2019
Good agreement continues among the model ensemble means into the week-2 period. The manual blend and each of the ECMWF, NCEP GEFS, and Canadian ensemble means continue to predict above normal 500-hPa heights over most of the CONUS. Positive 500-hPa height anomalies push further eastward over most of the western CONUS during the week-2 period. Mean 500-hPa height anomalies have decreased and are near-normal over the Southeast region in week-2. Positive 500-hPa height anomalies are indicated over the Northeast in the week-2 manual blend. Positive 500-hPa height anomalies continue over western Alaska into week-2 with troughing and lower heights predicted over the Gulf of Alaska and the Alaska Panhandle. The predicted circulation pattern for the 6-10 day period continues into much of the week-2 period leading to similar temperature and precipitation forecasts, although with increasing uncertainty.
Enhanced probabilities of above normal temperatures are indicated over the western CONUS and across the Northern Plains for week-2, under predicted positive 500-hPa height anomalies. Above normal temperatures continue to be likely for the southeastern quarter of the CONUS, and above normal temperatures are also likely along the Canadian border in the Northeast under above normal 500-hPa heights. Below normal temperatures continue to be favored for parts of the central Great Lakes region, and above normal temperatures continue to be likely for the Aleutian Islands and northern Alaska into week-2.
Below normal precipitation is slightly favored for southwestern Alaska and also for the Northwest CONUS under predicted above normal 500-hPa heights extending into week-2. Above normal precipitation continues to be slightly favored for eastern Alaska, and for parts of Southern California and from the Southwest CONUS across the Central Plains into the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, in week-2 as in the 6-10 day period forecast, with continued moisture flow into the Southwest.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE FOR THE 8-14 DAY PERIOD: Below average, 2 out of 5, due to increasing uncertainty and predicted weak 500-hPa height anomalies.
The next set of long-lead monthly and seasonal outlooks will be released on June 20.
Analogs to the NOAA 6 – 14 Day Outlook.
Now let us take a detailed look at the “Analogs”.
NOAA normally provides two sets of Analogs.
A. Analogs related to the 5 day period centered on 3 days ago and the 7 day period centered on 4 days ago. “Analog” means that the weather pattern then resembles the recent weather pattern and the recent pattern is used to initialize the models to predict the 6 – 14 day Outlook.
B. There is a second set of analogs associated with the Outlook. It compares the forecast (rather than the prior period) to past weather patterns. I have not been regularly analyzing this second set of information. The first set applies to the 5 and 7 day observed pattern prior to today. The second set relates to the correlation of the forecasted outlook 6 – 10 days out and 8 – 14 days out with similar patterns that have occurred in the past during a longer period that includes the dates covered by the 6 – 10 Day and 8 – 14 Day Outlook. The second set of analogs also has useful information as it indicates that the forecast is feasible in the sense that something like it has happened before. I am not very impressed with that approach. But in some ways both Approach A and B are somewhat similar. I conclude that if the Ocean Condition now are different then the analogs and if the state of ENSO now is different than the analogs that is a reason to have increased lack of confidence in the forecasts and vice versa.
They put the first set of analogs in the discussion with the second set available by a link so I am assuming that the first set of analogs is the most meaningful and I find it so. But NOAA prefers the first set (A) as it helps them (or at least they think it does) assess the quality of the forecast.
Here are today’s analogs in chronological order although this information is also available with the analog dates listed by the level of correlation. I find the chronological order easier for me to work with. It also helps the reader see the impact of the phases of the PDO and AMO which are shown. The first set (A) which is what I am using today applies to the 5 and 7-day observed pattern prior to today.
Date | ENSO Phase | PDO* | AMO* | Other Comments |
Jun 3, 1951 (2) | El Nino | – | + | |
May 20, 1959 | Neutral | – | + | Just after a Modoki TypeI |
May 13, 1983 | El Nino | + | – | |
May 14, 1983 | El Nino | + | – | |
May 30, 1989 (2) | La Nina | N | – | |
May 12, 1995 | Neutral | + | + | Just after a Modoki |
May 13, 1995 | Neutral | + | + | Just after a Modoki |
May 22, 2004 | Neutral | + | + |
* I assign values that are consistent with the trend so I am doing some subjective smoothing with respect to the Phases of the AMO and PDO shown in this table. (t) = a month where the Ocean Cycle Index has just changed from a consistent pattern or does change the following month to a consistent pattern.
The spread among the analogs from May 12 to June 3 is 22 days which is quite a bit tighter than last week.. I have not calculated the centroid of this distribution which would be the better way to look at things but the midpoint, which is a lot easier to calculate, and fairly accurate if the dates are reasonably evenly distributed, is about May 23, 2019. These analogs are describing historical weather that was centered on 3 days and 4 days ago (May 23 or May 24). So the analogs could be considered to be in sync with respect to weather that we would normally be getting right now.
For more information on Analogs see discussion in the GEI Weather Page Glossary. For sure it is a rough measure as there are so many historical patterns but not enough to be a perfect match with current conditions. I use it mainly to see how our current conditions match against somewhat similar patterns and the ocean phases that prevailed during those prior patterns. If everything lines up I have my own measure of confidence in the NOAA forecast. Similar initial conditions should lead to similar weather. I am a mathematician so that is how I think about models.
Including duplicates, there are four Neutral analogs, four El Nino Analogs, and two La Nina Analogs. This suggests that El Nino may now be having some impact on the weather pattern for CONUS and Alaska. The pre-forecast analogs this week are indecisive. This generally agrees with and supports the NOAA 6 – 14 day Forecast in the sense that the NOAA 6 – 10 day and 8 – 14 day forecast have relatively low confidence in the forecast because of the low amplitude of the Highs and the Lows.
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Historical Anomaly Analysis
When I see the same dates showing up often I find it interesting to consult this list.
A Useful Read
Some might find this analysis which you need to click to read interesting as the organization which prepares it focuses on the Pacific Ocean and looks at things from a very detailed perspective and their analysis provides a lot of information on the history and evolution of ENSO events.
Some Indices of Possible Interest: We should always remember that the forecast is driven by many factors some of which are conflicting in terms of their impacts. Please pay more attention to the graphics than my commentary which does not update on a regular basis once the article is published. The indices will continue to update. I provide these indices as they are important guidelines to the weather. It is in a way looking at the factors that are impacting the weather. There were developed because weather forecasters found them to be useful.
Eastern Pacific Oscillation. Here is a pretty good explanation. It is a bit like an extension further west of the AO. Here is some history and five forecasts ranging from 4 days to 14 days. As you can see, we have been in the Negative or Cool Phase almost all winter. But this seems to have switched to the Warm Phase and now looks slightly Positive.
Here is another way of integrating all forecasts into a single graphic. These forecasts extend out further into the future than the forecasts presented earlier. But they do not show the recent history. Also, the set of four does not include the AO but instead the WPO so it is not the same but may be useful.
Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO)
The MJO is an area of convective activity along the Equator which circles the globe generally in 30 to 60 days. The location of the convective activity not only impacts the Equator but also the middle latitudes. Most people are not familiar with the MJO but at certain times it plays an important role Worldwide re weather and for CONUS.
This is the Summary from the weekly NOAA analysis of the MJO.
It is sometimes useful to look at the recent history of the MJO.
The MJO Index (more information can be found here) indicates where the MJO has been and this Hovmoeller Graphic shows this. The Index is shown for the parts of the Equator where the MJO is most usually found.
Forecast Models.
There are a lot of models and I try to read the results from all of them. For access to a variety of models, I refer readers here. This weekly report summarizes things. Here is another useful source of information.
Now the first of the two graphics we typically present which shows where the MJO is now and how it got there.
This shows the recent history. MJO is now in Phase 8/1. What next?
And then a forecast. On this GFS graphic, the light gray shading shows the tracks which fit with 90% of the forecasts and the dark gray shading shows a smaller area that fits with 50% of the forecasts The large dot is the current location.
Here is a larger version of the graphic on the left above.
B. Beyond Alaska and CONUS Let’s Look at the World which of course also includes Alaska and CONUS
It is Useful to Understand the Semipermanent Patterns that Control our Weather and Consider how These Change from Winter to Summer. These two graphics (click on each one to enlarge) are from a much larger set available from the Weather Channel. They highlight the position of the Bermuda High which they are calling the Azores High in the January graphic and is often called NASH and it has a very big impact on CONUS Southeast weather and also the Southwest. You also see the north/south migration of the Pacific High which also has many names and which is extremely important for CONUS weather and it also shows the change of location of the ITCZ which I think is key to understanding the Indian Monsoon. A lot of things become much clearer when you understand these semi-permanent features some of which have cycles within the year, longer period cycles and may be impacted by Global Warming. We are now moving into June. We should be almost to the Summer Pattern. For CONUS, the seasonal repositioning of the Bermuda High and the Pacific High are very significant.
World Forecasts
1. Today (Source: University of Maine)
2. Short-term set for day six but can be adjusted (BOM – Australia)
3. 8 – 14 Day (NOAA/Canada/Mexico Experimental NAEFS))
4 Tropical Activity
1. Forecast for Today (you can click on the maps to enlarge them)
And now precipitation
Additional Maps showing different weather variables can be found here.
2. Forecast for Day 6 (Currently Set for Day 6 but the reader can change that)
World Weather Forecast produced by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Unfortunately, I do not know how to extract the control panel and embed it into my report so that you could use the tool within my report. But if you visit it Click Here and you will be able to use the tool to view temperature or many other things for THE WORLD. It can forecast out for a week. Pretty cool. Return to this report by using the “Back Arrow” usually found top left corner of your screen to the left of the URL Box. It may require hitting it a few times depending on how deep you are into the BOM tool. Below are the current worldwide precipitation and temperature forecasts for six days out. They will auto-update and be current for Day 6 whenever you view them. If you want the forecast for a different day Click Here
Again, please remember this graphic updates every six hours so the diurnal pattern can confuse the reader.
Now Precipitation
3. And now we have experimental 8 – 14 Day World forecasts from the NAEFS Model.
First Temperature
Then Precipitation
4. Tropical Hazards.
C. ENSO SUMMARY of Current Status.
This section is organized into three parts.
1. Current Sea Surface Temperatures (SST)
2. Current Nino 3.4 Readings
3. The Surface Air Pressure Pattern that confirms the state of ENSO.
1. Current and Recent Sea Surface Temperatures (SST)
A major driver of weather is Surface Ocean Temperatures. Evaporation only occurs from the Surface of Water. So we are very interested in the temperatures of water especially when these temperatures deviate from seasonal norms thus creating an anomaly. The geographical distribution of the anomalies is very important. To a substantial extent, the temperature anomalies along the Equator have disproportionate impact on weather so we study them intensely and that is what the ENSO (El Nino – Southern Oscillation) cycle is all about. Subsurface water can be thought of as the future surface temperatures. They may have only indirect impacts on current weather but they have major impacts on future weather by changing the temperature of the water surface. Winds and Convection (evaporation forming clouds) is weather and is a result of the Phases of ENSO and also a feedback loop that perpetuates the current Phase of ENSO or changes it. That is why we monitor winds and convection along or near the Equator especially the Equator in the Eastern Pacific.
My focus here is sea surface temperature anomalies as they are one of the two largest factors determining weather around the World. If we want to have a good feel for future weather, we need to look at the oceans as our weather mostly comes from oceans and we need to look at surface temperature anomalies (weather develops from the ocean surface
It is the ocean surface that interacts with the atmosphere and causes convection and also the warming and cooling of the atmosphere. So we are interested in the actual ocean surface temperatures and the departure from seasonal normal temperatures which is called “departures” or “anomalies”. Since warm water facilitates evaporation which results in cloud convection, the pattern of SST anomalies suggests how the weather pattern east of the anomalies will be different than normal.
Current Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Departures from Normal for this Time of the Year i.e. Anomalies
First the categorization of the current Monthly Average SST anomalies. | ||||
The Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian Sea | Western Pacific | West of North America | North and East of North America | North Atlantic |
The Central Mediterranean is cool. The Black Sea is neutral. The Caspian Sea is very warm as is the Red Sea and the Western Persian Gulf. The Arabian Sea is very warm. | Mixed warm around Japan | Waters in Bristol Bay and the Chukchi Sea are warm. Cool offshore from British Columbia Warm off Baja and out to sea but cool right around Baja
| Great Lakes cool Waters offshore of East Coast cool to the north and mostly neutral to the south. | Cool |
Equator | Central Pacific slightly warm but not very impressive. Eastern Pacific warm. | |||
Africa | West of Australia | North, South, and East of Australia | West of South America | East of South America |
Slightly warm Gulf of Guinea Cool off of Angola and Namibia MIxed south of Africa.
| See discussion to the right | Warm northwest, and southeast to and beyond New Zealand. Cool Southwest | Warm off of Peru in addition to Ecuador. Cool 20S to 40S | Slightly warm 20S to 40S Cool 40S to Cape Horn. |
Then we look at the change in the anomalies. The SST anomaly is sort of like the first derivative and the change in the anomaly is somewhat like a second derivative. It tells us if the anomaly is becoming more or less intense.
I am only showing the currently issued version of the NINO SST Index Table as the prior values are shown in the small graphics on the right with this graphic. The same data in graphic form but going back a couple of more years can be found here. The full table of values can be found here. NOAA considers Nino 3.4 shown in the graphic as the best indicator of Equatorial Surface Temperature Anomalies associated with different phases of ENSO. There is a duration requirement to be a recorded El Nino or La Nina but to have El Nino Conditions the Nino 3.4 index needs to be +0.5C or warmer and to have La Nina Conditions the Nino 3.4 Index needs to be -0.5C or cooler.
ENSO Update.
The computer models are more enthusiastic than the meteorologists and the two forecasts are shown below
Early-May Meteorologist Survey | Mid May Analysis of Model Forecasts |
Also published on April 18 was the plume of forecasts from a variety of models. These are forecasts of the Nino 3.4 Index.
This graphic brings the Nino 3.4 up to date and is easy to read.
Here is a daily version
Starting with Surface Conditions.
TAO/TRITON GRAPHIC (a good way of viewing data related to the part of the Equator and the waters close to the Equator in the Eastern Pacific where we monitor to determining the current phase of ENSO. It is probably not necessary to follow the discussion below, but here is a link to TAO/TRITON terminology.
And here is the current version of the TAO/TRITON Graphic. The top part shows the actual temperatures, the bottom part shows the anomalies i.e. the deviation from normal.
———————————————— | A | B | C | D | E | —————– |
This may help put the above graphics in focus.
The following graphic is some similar to the above but it updates every five days not once per week. The date shown is the midpoint for the five-day average. It shows a lot more detail than the above graphic. You can see some water at depth that is anomalously warm. But the depth of the warm anomaly is becoming less and there is cool water below it.
3. The Surface Air Pressure that Confirms the Nino 3.4 Index
And of course, Queensland Australia is the official keeper of the SOI measurements.
SOI = 10 X [ Pdiff – Pdiffav ]/ SD(Pdiff) where Pdiff = (average Tahiti MSLP for the month) – (average Darwin MSLP for the month), Pdiffav = long term average of Pdiff for the month in question, and SD(Pdiff) = long term standard deviation of Pdiff for the month in question. So really it is comparing the extent to which Tahiti is more cloudy than Darwin, Australia. During El Nino we expect Darwin Australia to have lower air pressure and more convection than Tahiti (Negative SOI especially lower than -7 correlates with El Nino Conditions). During La Nina we expect the Warm Pool to be further east resulting in Positive SOI values greater than +7).
D. Putting it all Together.
Weak El Nino Conditions will soon peak and begin to transform to ENSO Neutral.
E. Relevant Recent Articles and Reports
Weather in the News
Nothing to report
Weather Research in the News
Nothing to Report
Global Warming in the News
Nothing to report
Useful Reference Information
Understand How the Jet Stream Impacts Weather
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Standard Pressure Levels
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