El Niño: What is it and Why it Matters for Alaska

Speakers: Scott Handel (NOAA Climate Prediction Center) & Rick Thoman (Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy).

El Niño is back and is making news. Beyond the headlines, what does that mean for Alaska and beyond? Scott Handel with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center will provide a broad overview: what is El Niño, how does it relate to La Niña, and how do the variations in equatorial Pacific ocean temperatures influence weather and seasonal climate across much of the globe. Rick Thoman with ACCAP will provide a look at how past El Niño events have played out for Alaska weather and climate and finish up with the official climate outlooks for the upcoming winter.