El Niño/La Niña Information

El Niño/La Niña Information

Current ENSO conditions for the March-April-May (MAM) three-month period are ENSO neutral. By this summer, El Nino is expected to develop and remain in place through the rest of the year. Despite the transition to El Nino, it will take a few months for the global circulation to adjust. As such, we will likely continue to see long periods of above normal temperatures with stubborn high-pressure systems over the southwestern US/southern Great Plains through the middle part of the summer. By the end of the summer, perpetual warm sea-surface temperature anomalies will allow a relatively strong sub-tropical jet to develop over the southern US and the Gulf/Caribbean. While the shear from the sub-tropical jet this summer and fall will help suppress tropical development in this part of the Atlantic Basin, it will potentially result in a more rainy pattern especially once we transition into the fall and get cold fronts protruding further south into the region.

Updated: May 7, 2026

Weekly Update From CPC

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) creates a weekly ENSO summary (with graphics), available in pdf or ppt formats.

Monthly Update - ENSO Diagnostic Discussion

This monthly summary from CPC is also available in pdf and Word formats.

All About ENSO

An Introduction to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation

The above link provides a basic overview of ENSO (El Niño/Southern Oscillation). Various links to other summaries and tutorials are also provided.

An Explanation of ENSO Indices

Descriptions of various ENSO indices are accompanied by an explanation of how the indices are used to detect/declare an El Niño or La Niña event.

Teleconnections

El Niño and La Niña primarily affect the weather during the cold season. What effects does the ENSO phase have on North Texas? Click the Teleconnections link to find out!

Current Data