Scientists Say Weak El Niño Arrived, Not Expected To End Drought

PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — No one noticed, but forecasters say El Niño has arrived.

This season's El Niño, which is marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean near the equator, is rather weak and is not expected to impact global weather patterns, forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

Scientists say that there could be some wetter-than-normal conditions along the U.S. Gulf Coast thanks to this El Niño.

"Based on the persistent observations of above-average sea surface temperatures across the western and central equatorial Pacific Ocean and consistent pattern of sea level pressure, we can now say that El Niño is here," Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center and ENSO forecaster, in a statement. "Many climate prediction models show this weak El Niño continuing into summer."

There were hopes that the anticipated El Niño would mean an end to the drought California has been experiencing, but as the weather phenomenon grew closer, forecasters downplayed those expectations.

El Niño has been associated with heavy rainfall in California, but this year, "this El Niño is likely too late and too weak to provide much relief for drought-stricken California," Halpert said.