El Niño's arrival is too little, too late for drought-ridden California

Congratulations are in order for the tropical Pacific Ocean. An El Niño event that has been forecast for at least the past year finally arrived on Thursday, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an "El Niño Advisory."

However, like a late-arriving guest to a charity auction, El Niño showed up after all the bidding was done, as it is now likely that California will experience a fourth straight year of drought. El Niño events, particularly strong ones, can favor above average winter rainfall along the West Coast, among other global effects that climate scientists refer to as "teleconnections." Read more...

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