It’s normal for us to experience a little heat and rain as the seasons change, but when sea surface temperatures transition to the extremes, we might just experience excessive heat and rain. These weather changes can lead to serious damages and destruction, and could potentially cause serious problems for both humans and animals alike. Generally, extreme weather conditions are called El Nino and La Nina, but while they’re often mentioned together, these two situations are completely different.
What is La Nina?
When the temperatures of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become cooler than the usual, we experience La Nina. During La Nina, it’s common that weather becomes particularly cooler with strong rains plaguing many parts of the globe. These rains can cause flooding and destruction of crops, and can also become the beginning of super typhoons.
La Nina happens as a result of the easterly trade winds around the equatorial Pacific Ocean becoming stronger. As the winds blow warm water away towards the west, colder water underneath the sea rises to the surface and causes rains and cooler temperatures.
What is El Nino?
El Nino is the exact opposite of La Nina. Contrary to its colder counterpart, El Nino causes greater temperatures and even drought in some areas which can become troubling for crops. The extreme heat can also become a reason for people to seek refuge indoors, as heat stroke becomes very common during this natural phenomenon.
Also, unlike La Nina, El Nino is a result of the easterly trade winds around the same equatorial Pacific Ocean area becoming less prominent, sometimes even coming to a complete halt. This allows warm water to accumulate at the surface and in turn stops the formation of rain and increases temperatures.
El Nino and La Nina – Are They Normal?
While we do experience changes in weather as seasons switch throughout the year, El Nino and La Nina are not naturally occurring, which means they could or could not happen. It all depends on the temperature of the sea. If they do occur, La Nina could last between 9 and 12 months, while El Nino could take at least a year before it completely wipes out. These extreme weather conditions can cause significant changes in the way we go about our daily lives, so whether it’s one or the other, it’s important that we make the necessary preparations to avoid any untoward incidents.
