Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts and Entertainment

Impending El Niño Will Be A 'Conveyor Belt' Of Storms, JPL Climatologist Says

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.


A Jet Propulsion Laboratory climatologist has news for us: El Niño's here and we can look forward to a 'conveyor belt' of storms. We've been hearing about El Niño for a while now, with predictions for an especially strong one this year. And now, Bill Patzert, a climatologist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says it's here, the L.A. Times reports. "It's official. El Niño's here. It's a done deal," he said. "So at this point, we're just waiting for the impacts in California."

Patzer previously said that El Niño was too "too big to fail" and that North America's winter would not be normal. Now, according to the National Weather Service, conditions "reflect a strong and mature El Niño episode."

Patzert says that we should expect peak El Niño come January, February and March, which may include heavy rain, mudslides and "one storm after another like a conveyor belt." He suggests we "get off the couch" and make preparations now, because "these storms are imminent."

Scientists cite the warming temperatures at sea level in the Pacific Ocean west of Peru as one cause for this year's storm, plus the winds along the equator have changed directions, meaning warmer waters are headed towards North and South America. The Pacific Ocean near Peru just hit 5 degrees above average on November 4, which is warmer than temps in early November in 1997, the year of the strongest El Niño.

Support for LAist comes from

And while we wait, El Niño's already been causing issues elsewhere, like last month's Hurricane Patricia in Mexico and a drought in the Philippines.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist