Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Increasing flash flood threat looms in Texas as heat scorches recovery zone. Click for details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

70°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

70°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Climate

El Nino is officially underway. Here’s what that means for the weather

The Pacific Ocean is heating up, and experts say that it will get even warmer as El Niño strengthens. That translates to a bigger influence on global weather patterns.

By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor

Published Jun 8, 2023 10:49 AM EDT | Updated Jun 9, 2023 7:53 AM EDT

Copied

A map of the Pacific Ocean showing sea surface temperature anomalies. The areas of yellow, orange and red to the west of South America show where El Niño has developed. (NASA Worldview)

After months of anticipation, El Niño has officially developed and will have a heavy hand in shaping the weather patterns around the world into 2024.

On Thursday morning, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center announced that "El Niño conditions are present and are expected to gradually strengthen into the Northern Hemisphere for the winter of 2023-24."

El Niño is a regular climate phenomenon in the eastern Pacific Ocean when water temperatures near the equator are at least 0.9 of a degree F (0.5 of a degree C) above the historical average for a three-month period. The extended period of warmth in this region of the ocean alters the jet stream and the overall weather patterns across North America.

The last time El Niño was observed was from late 2018 through the first half of 2019.

A map of the Eastern Pacific Ocean that shows the impact of El Niño on the basin's hurricane season. Weaker trend winds lead to warmer water temperatures and higher moisture content. Farther north along the coast of Mexico, less wind shear contributes to more hurricane activity.

AccuWeather forecasters have been predicting the development of El Niño for months, with Senior Meteorologist and Long-Range Specialist Paul Pastelok talking about the potential for it to develop as far back as February during the release of AccuWeather's annual spring forecast for the United States.

This is a sharp turnaround from the past three years when El Niño's cooler counterpart La Niña reigned supreme over the Pacific Ocean.

What El Nino means for the weather

In the summer and autumn, El Niño can help to suppress tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean. This is one factor that AccuWeather long-range forecasters considered when they released the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season forecast.

In general, an El Niño pattern favors a more active storm track farther south across the U.S. and drier weather across northern areas.

During the winter, El Niño can promote wet weather across California and the Gulf Coast while much of the central and midwestern U.S. tends to experience milder weather with less frequent snow.

650x366_12051707_elnino

The large area of warm water in the Pacific Ocean can also help the global average sea surface temperatures to reach unprecedented levels.

How strong will El Nino become?

The onset of El Niño is just the beginning.

NOAA says there is an 84% chance that it will become at least moderately strong by the end of 2023 or the start of 2024, meaning that it will have a bigger influence on global weather patterns. It will likely become stronger than the most recent El Niño four years ago.

The strongest El Niño on record occurred during the winter of 2015-16, barely edging out the one that unfolded during the winter of 1997-98.

Continue reading:

Arctic sea may have ice-free summers by the 2030s, new study warns
World on track to breach 1.5 degrees of warming in the next five years
Australia's colossal bushfires likely made La Niña worse, study finds

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app.AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

President Trump visits flood-ravaged Kerrville as search continues

Jul. 12, 2025
Hurricane

Tropical trouble in the Atlantic may brew into next week

Jul. 13, 2025
Weather News

Flash flooding swamps Iowa Quad Cities as storms unleash damaging rain

Jul. 12, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Thunderstorms fuel increasing flash flooding threat in Texas

1 hour ago

Weather News

Engine fuel supply cut just before Air India jet crash, report says

20 hours ago

Weather News

Texas Hill Country: Before, during and after the flood

21 hours ago

Weather News

Flash flooding swamps Iowa Quad Cities as storms unleash damaging rain

18 hours ago

Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench eastern US

1 hour ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

1 day ago

Weather News

Viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng celebrates her first birthday

1 day ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

1 day ago

Business

Samsung is looking into more AI devices potentially including earrings...

1 day ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

2 days ago

AccuWeather Climate El Nino is officially underway. Here’s what that means for the weather
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...