As you might know, NASA came out with a statement that July 2016 was the hottest month on record, ever! Since the 2015-2016 El Niño event began in October 2015, each month has set a new record for the hottest month on record. Even though we are currently in a period of neutrality, we are on the tails of an El Niño and quite possibly about to enter a La Niña.
"Since October 2015, every month has set a new global record for hottest temperatures. It coincides with an unusually strong El Niño Pattern which caused severe heat and drought across Southeast Asia, as well as raising temperatures globally."
"It appears almost a certainty that 2016 also will be the warmest year on record," NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies director Gavin Schmidt said in a statement.
So, it appears that we have seen an acceleration of warmer temperatures during the latest El Niño. With a La Niña, we may see a slow down in this acceleration. The potential La Niña might raise temperatures a bit, but not to the degree at which the El Niño event has done recently.
The chart below shows just how an El Niño and a La Niña event can affect global temperatures.
Here is an article from the Weather Watch, New Zealand's Weather News Authority!
Also, please keep up-to-date on the GLOBE El Niño Field Campaign. The new school year is coming to schools across the northern hemisphere and the campaign continues.
