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posted by cmn32480 on Wednesday July 22 2015, @10:11AM   Printer-friendly

The 2015 El Niño event is now neck-and-neck with [the] record-setting event of 1997-1998 in terms of its mid-summer intensity.

Chart shows sea surface temperature difference from average (in degrees Celsius) in central and eastern Tropical Pacific in 2015 (orange line) compared to 1997 (blue line). By definition, El Nino becomes established when the sea surface temperature difference from average in this region is 0.5 Celsius for at least one month. It becomes a moderate El Nino event at 1 degree Celsius, strong at 1.5 degrees, and very strong or "super" at 2 degrees. In mid-July 2015, the sea surface temperature difference from normal was around 1.5 degrees, on the cusp of a strong El Nino event and comparable to the 1997 event at the same time, which eventually became a super El Nino. The red dots represent the average model forecast for the rest of 2015 which shows the sea surface temperature difference from average climbing above 2 degrees, achieving super El Nino strength, but it is not forecast to be quite as strong as the 1997-1998 event .

Good news: lots of rain on the way to drought-stricken California. Bad news: mudslides.


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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 22 2015, @11:59AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 22 2015, @11:59AM (#212270)

    Prepare for the tears of rich people that decided to build their house on the side of a fuckin' cliff.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 22 2015, @12:08PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 22 2015, @12:08PM (#212275)

    Well, they should have listened to Albert Hammond:

    It never rains in California,
    but girl, don't they warn ya:
    It pours, man, it pours!

  • (Score: 1) by OrugTor on Wednesday July 22 2015, @12:24PM

    by OrugTor (5147) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 22 2015, @12:24PM (#212285)

    It always surprises me that not all the cliffs have slid yet. I suppose a cliff weakens a little more with each downpour until it goes over the edge, so to speak. Plus, there are newly-developed cliffs all eager to begin their journey to extinction.

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Tork on Wednesday July 22 2015, @04:48PM

    by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 22 2015, @04:48PM (#212394)
    That would be funny if mudslides in California were exclusive to cliff-side dwellings, but they're not. All it takes is a shallow hill and a recent wildfire to create the conditions that'll wipe out the home of several non-rich people.
    --
    🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 22 2015, @08:58PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 22 2015, @08:58PM (#212476)

      I live in California. There is a hill near here that's not particularly scary looking. It slid and
      took out several houses. There are other hills and yes, even houses leaning over cliffs that look
      scary. They've been there since the 40s or 50s, some of them.

      It's all about the soil. You really can't judge just by looks sometimes... but yeah, the people
      that live right by the beach with sea walls holding things together will suffer, and not all of them
      are rich. There was a building like that in Pacifica or Daly City a few years ago that was on the
      news. It was just a regular looking apartment building, not rich looking at all.