El Niño Information Sites

El Niño is an unusual warming of sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific extending from the South American coast to the International Dateline. El Niño's occur approximately every two to seven years. Large El Niño's are thought to have an impact on the world's weather patterns. During larger El Niño's, Minnesota's winters have tended towards the mild side (with some exceptions). There is no significant connection between Minnesota's winter snowfall and El Niño. The intense El Niño of 1997-1998 is thought to be one of the most signficant of the century. To learn more about El Niño, see the informational sites listed below.

• Current Status of El Niño from the Climate Prediction Center
  
• El Niño's Impact on the Midwest from the Midwest Climate Center
  

• Previous El Niño Episodes
  • List of El Niño years from NOAA - Climate Prediction Center
  • List of El Niño years from NOAA/University of Washington Joint Project
  • List of El Niño years from Gallaudet University

• Frequently Asked Questions About El Niño (NOAA - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
  
• What is an El Niño? (NOAA - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
  
• General El Niño Information from the Climate Diagnostics Center
  
• El Niño Information from the Chanhassen, MN National Weather Service Forecast Office
  

• WCCO's Channel 4000 El Niño Page
  
• ABC News El Niño Page
  
• USA Today El Niño Page
  
• San Francisco National Weather Service El Niño Page
  

Return to Minnesota Climatology Working Group Main Page