La Nina Looms - Bad News For New Mexico!
A Very Humbling Photo To Say The Least. Now My Facebook Profile Picture.
Blog Updated @ 7:50 PM MDT Sunday, April 24, 2016.
As El Niño Continues To Weaken - La Nina Looms.
(Bad News For New Mexico & The Desert Southwest).
(December 31, 2015).
(April 21, 2016).
Compare the sea surface temperature maps (above) from last December with the current map (today). Its fairly obvious how quickly and how much the Equator Pacific sea surface temperatures are dropping thus signaling the coming end of El Niño conditions with a return to La Nina conditions by this fall and winter.
Sea surface temperatures across and near the Equatorial Pacific Ocean continued to cool as El Niño continues to weaken. This trend is forecast by the models to continue. In fact a La Nina Watch has been issued by NOAA. Bad news for New Mexico because La Nina's produce the opposite weather that El Niño's do. Meaning drought conditions will likely worsen in time.
Hot dry springs and summers with an increased risk of fire danger especially after the wet last several years we've had. Lots of dry tall grasses and brush available to fuel wildfires. Not to mention that dust storms will be more common.
Current U.S. Drought Monitor Status.
U.S. Drought Outlook April - July, 2016.
There may be some temporary hope in May. Typically during an El Niño our weather in May and sometimes into June can be rather active. Meaning lots of thunderstorms, some of which are severe, and flash flooding. Its a coin toss as to what will happen this year. April across southeastern New Mexico has been relatively dry. More on this via the Albuquerque National Weather Service SkyWatcher Spring-2016 Newsletter.
(2011 - 2015).
My Rainfall Totals Here In Carlsbad, New Mexico.
2011= 5.84"
2012= 12.48"
2013= 16.35"
2014= 17.52"
2015= 20.85"
2016= 1.13" (Jan 1st - Apr 24th).
The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!
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