News Climate

Fizzled 2014 El Niño fired up ongoing monster El Niño

Stored-up heat fueled start to 2015‒2016 extreme weather patterns

Warm surface waters in the eastern Pacific in March 2016

HOT WATER  Warm water left over in the equatorial Pacific Ocean from a failed 2014 El Niño helped push the current El Niño to extremes, new research suggests. Warm surface waters in the eastern Pacific, shown here in March 2016, can cause global weather disruptions.

NOAA Environmental Visualization Lab

By Thomas Sumner

- More than 2 years ago

The historic El Niño event currently shaking up Earth’s weather rose like a phoenix from the hot remains of a failed 2014 El Niño, new research suggests.