Storm-soaked California is still in the clutches of a wet El Niño winter , but in an unexpected plot twist, La Niña could be hot on its heels.
The El Niño-La Niña Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific that can influence weather worldwide and across the Golden State, although its outcomes are never guaranteed.
Typically, El Niño is associated with warm, wet winters in Southern California , while La Niña is associated with cooler and drier conditions.
So far this year, El Niño has delivered on that promise. The pattern intensified in recent months, becoming what is now believed to be the fifth-strongest El Niño on record, according to an advisory the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued this week .
Since December, California has been pummeled by intense atmospheric rivers , including three storms that dropped record-breaking rainfall in Oxnard, San Diego and Los Angeles. The latest storm killed at least nine people and triggered landslides, debris flows and two tornadoes.