El Nino

El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, as opposed to La Niña, which is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. El Niño is an oscillation of the ocean-atmosphere system, which impacts weather patterns globally. It can lead to increased rainfall across the southern tier of the US and in Peru, and drought in the West Pacific, among other effects. Its effects on weather worldwide occur due to the large amount of heat that is released into the atmosphere from the warmer than usual ocean water. The term El Niño means The Little Boy, or Christ Child in Spanish, and was originally used by fishermen off the coast of South America to refer to the warm waters that typically appear around Christmas and last for a few months.