El Niño and La Niña multi-year events more common?

[Andie]

A new study in Nature has revealed that the atmospheric component—called the "Pacific Walker Circulation"—has changed its behavior over the industrial era in ways that weren't expected. The international team of authors also found that volcanic eruptions can cause the Walker Circulation to temporarily weaken, inducing El Niño conditions. The results provide important insights into how El Niño and La Niña events may change in the future.

https://phys.org/news/2023-08-el-nio-la-nia-multi-year.html

[AquariusRadar]

US drought map week to week shows small changes. Some very minor improvements, but Texas and the Misissippi river still in peril. This week at the bottom; last week at the top.

 

[AquariusRadar]

Some improvement in the upper Mississippi valley. Drought in SE New Mexico and SW Mississippi intensifies. Some severe drought shows up in Oregon.

 

[AquariusRadar]

No significant changes to the drought map.

 

[AquariusRadar]

Some minor improvement in south Texas. 

[AquariusRadar]

Little change in the drought map.

 

 

[Iceresistance]

1 hour ago, AquariusRadar said:

Little change in the drought map.

 

 

Actually worse on the drought map

[AquariusRadar]

23 hours ago, Iceresistance said:

Actually worse on the drought map

If by worse you are refering to the longevity of the drought, I agree. When I refer to change, I mean the intensity and coverage. But you are correct in that week to week the drought is worsening because of it's longevity. 

[Andie]

Our drought has been So Calif’s blessing.  
Death Valley is blooming.  And a few have grabbed the wealth.  
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/ive-never-seen-anything-like-this-death-valley-gleams-with-water-wildflowers-and-color/ar-AA1iARru#image=5

[AquariusRadar]

Wednesday's heavy rain in central Texas and Oklahoma will impact the drought picture for the better. But this weeks map data cutoff is Tuesday so we will not see those changes till next week. Small hotspots of severe drought have popped up in the Tennessee Valley but will go away with the next weeks map as the rain showers are currently approaching the area. Drought areas worsen after another week of dry weather.

[AquariusRadar]

Noted improvement in drought coverage in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansaw after good rains with some minor flooding in Texas and the other areas. Some expansion of drought in the Tennessee River  basin. El Niño said to help with rainfall along the Gulf Coast but so far the region remains dry. But the time remains for the weather driver to wet up the lower Mississippi. Overalll, the drought lingers on.

[AquariusRadar]

Minor worsening conditions in Northern New Mexico and upper Tennessee valley. Some improvement in the Klamath basin. The rest of the map unchanged. The drought in the lower Mississippi continues.

[AquariusRadar]

El Niño did provide some rain along the Gulf Coast, in accordance with prevelant thinking about what El Niño is supposed to do, but the modest rains didn't move the drought map. And around the country -not much change in the map. One more week of dry. Strangely, on the Florida Gulf coast around Tampa drought continues, but just across the peninsula some areas of the Atlantic coast are approaching 100 inches of rainfall for the 2023 year.- 

[AquariusRadar]

Some improvement for the PNW in Washington. Other wise not any chage in coverage for the rest of the country. For drought stricken areas, the dry continues.

 

 

[Andie]

The Texas drought in southern hill country is looking good.  If we get the wet winter I’m hoping for it should erase all that red.  

[AquariusRadar]

Not many changes in coverage last week. Some minor improvement in the Florida panhandle and upper Tennessee river. El Niño predicted to kick in next week for Houston and Gulf coast and more storms from Houston towards the Great Lakes and North East. More PNW stroms as well.  

[AquariusRadar]

Change for the better in lower Mississippi and Tenessee valley as El Niño delivers substantial rains. Drought coverage for the rest of the country is unchanged.

[AquariusRadar]

Some improvement for south Louisiana. No change for other parts of the country.

[AquariusRadar]

No significant changes to the drought map. Minor improvement in North Carolina. Minor expansion in Indiana and Ohio. Another week of half the country being "abnormally dry" or worse.

[AquariusRadar]

No change in the drought map.

 

[AquariusRadar]

Another week of generally dry weather has wiped out any improvement made possible from this weeks modest rainfall in the Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi. While making for serious storms on the California coast, this parade of storms seem to skip over the middle before intensifying again to make trouble for the Northeast states. But a much stronger storm may help in the week to come. Hopefully slamming the Sierras and dumping on the Colorado Plataue and later on the lower Mississippi.

[AquariusRadar]

El Niño has delivered more rain to the Gulf Coast with the help of last weeks big storm. Lower Mississippi slowly improving. The big storm mostly impacting the Northeast with a lot of urban flooding. But the rest of the nation saw meager amounts and no big changes to the drought areas

 

 

[AquariusRadar]

Even with big Pacific storms streaming acrosss the country, not much change in the drought map. The PNW, Sierras, and intermountain west got more snowpack. New Mexico unchanged. Minor improvement in the lower Mississippi.

[AquariusRadar]

Significant rains in the lower Mississippi move a small portion of Louisiana/Mississippi extreme drought to severe drought status. El Niño continues to provide some rain and slowly pull the lower Mississippi and the Gulf coast out of the extreeme category. Very minor improvements in the corn states . 

[Iceresistance]

Most of the crazy rainfall has yet to shown for this week's drought monitor, we will see the results of the crazy rainfall for next week.

[Andie]

No Tx and Oklahoma (our neighborhood) look to be shut out.  

[AquariusRadar]

Good rains has improved the outlook in the lower Mississippi and middle south. Not much change for very dry New Mexico. Strangely, while good storms have frequented California, the map has imposed "very dry" status for the middle Sierras. Snow totals below normal there? A big storm this coming week and should eliminate that dry mountain condition. Continued minor improvement in the corn belt. 

[AquariusRadar]

Despite really big West Coast storms, a small segment of the Sierra leeside rainshadow remains very dry. The El Niño rains hve reduced the lower Mississippi severe drought to a small area in North Mississippi.

[AquariusRadar]

Only a tiny area in NW Mississippi remains in extreme drought in the SE region. El Niño has eliminated the SE drought along the Gulf and the lower Mississippi as expected. Again the big storms of last week didn't remove that very dry area of the Sierra. Rainshadow?. Not much change otherwise. The big atmospheric river that clobbered California didn't help the Idaho/Montans area nor New Mexico. The Colorado high country missed out to. 

[Andie]

North Texas received a respectable amount of rain over this last week.   However, southern Texas is still parched.  Maybe early spring will benefit them. 

[Andie]

Weather still making headlines in California.  Kayaking is the latest event in Death Valley. 

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-02-21/after-storms-death-valley-is-now-open-for-kayaking

[AquariusRadar]

The South completely out of the extreme drought area and with the exception of Iowa, all of the East is free of severe drought. Tiny areas of the Idaho/Montana border has fallen into extreme drought. Slight improvement in New Mexico and West Texas.

[Andie]

I’m going to have to turn on my sprinkler system easily 3 weeks early. It’s so dry here.  

[AquariusRadar]

On 2/25/2024 at 2:21 PM, Andie said:

I’m going to have to turn on my sprinkler system easily 3 weeks early. It’s so dry here.  

The big Texas Panhandle fires are occuring in the northeast of the region where near normal conditions prevail. The raging wind is the devil there.

 

Drought wise across the nation not much change.

[Andie]

It just keeps burning. 

[AquariusRadar]

No change for the drought map. At least it's not getting worse.

 

[Andie]

Having received a good deal of slow rain last week we are better. It will take a good spring worth of rain to catch up.  
Thursday/Friday brings rain so we’re doing well on that possibility.  

[AquariusRadar]

No change to the drought map.

[AquariusRadar]

Very slow change in the map as Nebraska continues out of the worst drought conditions. Serious drought continues in portions of Iowa. The upper Mississippi remains in drought. Almost all of the Colorado remains dry.The Rio Grand, Pecos, and Permian basin contiues drought. The Texas hill country and the aquifer there remains in the grip of sparse rainfall.

 

 

[Andie]

It’s way too early for the SW to be in such dire straights.  
Very concerning for high summer conditions.