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ENSO sea level comparison, 1997 and 2015
The El Niño of 1997-98 was historic, but no two ENSO events are alike, nor are their weather effects in any given location, thanks to differences in how Pacific Ocean waters warm.
ENSO in 1997 and 1998
The 1997-98 El Niño event stands out both for its intensity and how it brought the ENSO phenomenon to public attention.
Ice skaters in Madison
Each El Niño event has a different effect on weather conditions on both global and local scales. These differences in large part depend on how a given El Niño develops.
ENSO 2015 forecast
The current El Niño is on track to be one of the strongest recorded. Indicators of a strong cycle have been increasingly documented over much of 2015 and continued to mount into autumn.
ENSO impact in North America
While the ENSO cycle is unpredictable, climatologists have identified consistent weather patterns during strong El Niño and La Niña years since the 1950s.
ENSO cycle map
The weather phenomenon most commonly called El Niño is one part in a cycle of irregularly changing trade winds and sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Oscar Mayer plant
Historically, Wisconsinites have perceived their capital city as primarily a university and government town and, perhaps more recently, as an aspiring tech-industry center. They're not wrong — government is by far the biggest employer in the Madison area.
Chickens
Earlier this year, avian flu devastated the poultry industry across Wisconsin and the country.
Winter tundra along ice age trail
Much of Wisconsin is experiencing a very warm autumn so far, with temperatures higher than average in both September and October. One factor that might be influencing these balmy conditions is El Niño, a recurring global weather pattern that can result in warmer winters for Wisconsin.
Lake Mendota
Whether looking forward to ice fishing season, crossing fingers for a rare journey to Lake Superior's sea caves on the shores of Bayfield County or just enduring the long cold months of winter, chances are the dates that lakes freeze and thaw are one mark by which one can measure the season in Wisconsin.