El Niño

[ el neen-yoh; Spanish el nee-nyaw ]

noun

1. a warm ocean current of variable intensity that develops after late December along the coast of Ecuador and Peru and sometimes causes catastrophic weather conditions.

El Niño

/ ɛl ˈniːnjəʊ /

noun

1. meteorol a warming of the eastern tropical Pacific occurring every few years, which alters the weather pattern of the tropics

El Niño

/ ĕlnēn′yō /

1. A warming of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring every 4 to 12 years and causing unusual global weather patterns. An El Niño is said to occur when the trade winds that usually push warm surface water westward weaken, allowing the warm water to pool as far eastward as the western coast of South America. When this happens, the typical pattern of coastal upwelling that carries nutrients from the cold depths to the ocean surface is disrupted, and fish and plankton die off in large numbers. El Niño warming is associated with the atmospheric phenomenon known as the southern oscillation , and their combined effect brings heavy rain to western South American and drought to eastern Australia and Indonesia. El Niño also affects the weather in the United States, but not as predictably.
2. Compare La Niña

El Niño

1. A warming of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean , occurring every four to twelve years when cold water does not rise to the surface, causing unusual weather patterns. The warmer water kills fish and plankton, brings heavy rains to western South America , and causes drought in eastern Australia and Indonesia .

Word History and Origins

Origin of El Niño¹

< Spanish: literally, the child, i.e., the Christ child, alluding to the appearance of the current near Christmas

Word History and Origins

Origin of El Niño¹

C20: from Spanish: The Child, i.e. Christ, referring to its original occurrence at Christmas time

Example Sentences

One of the only long-term predictive measures that forecasters can use, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle, or ENSO, remains in neutral, meaning that the Pacific Ocean isn’t currently in either a La Niña or El Niño cycle.

From Los Angeles Times

Warmer ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific from late 2014 into 2016, culminating in one of the most significant El Niño events since 1950, led to shifts in atmospheric jet streams that altered weather and rainfall patterns around the world.

From Science Daily

However, even after El Niño subsided, global freshwater failed to rebound.

From Science Daily

Globally, freshwater levels have stayed consistently low since the 2014-2016 El Niño, while more water remains trapped in the atmosphere as water vapor.

From Science Daily

These high temperatures are mainly down to human-caused climate change, with smaller contributions from natural factors such as the El Niño weather pattern.

From BBC