How do the trade winds differ during an El Niño event compared with the normal pattern?
How do the trade winds differ during an El Niño event compared with the normal pattern?
EL-NINO:
El-Nino is a warm ocean current. It periodically flows southwards along the coast of Ecuador. It is associated with Southern-Oscillation. It effects are collectively known as an El-Nino Southern Oscillation or ENSO.
During the El Nino event, the easterly trade winds weaken. In normal years, these trade winds are driven from the high-pressure areas of the East Pacific to the low-pressure areas in the West. However, during the El Nino event, the pressure difference between the regions decreases drastically, and hence the trade winds weaken significantly.
It impacts the weather patterns in North America as the lower than normal pressures in the eastern Pacific producing heavy rainfall especially in areas like California.
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