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A large mass of anomalously cool water in the Equatorial Pacific (image of sea surface temperature anomalies on 20 August 1998 courtesy of Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center) |
The 1997-98 |
| SYNOPSIS:
14 JUNE - 20 AUGUST 1998
As El Niño continues to fade, it is not clear whether
events such as southern U.S. droughts and heavy monsoons in Asia are ENSO-related.
Flooding in China has been identified as associated with ENSO. The
dengue outbreak continues over most of the western Pacific and Asia. Effects
reported here of the drought in the southern U.S., the warm winters in
the northeastern U.S., and the warm waters in Alaska and British Columbia
may reverberate through ecosystems and local economies for years.
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Broken Records ()Guam, December 16, 1997. Maximum surface wind velocity: 236 MPH by Supertyphoon Paka at Andersen Air Force Base (previous record 231 MPH on Mount Washington).BUT: This record contested! January and February 1998: Warmest national average temperature, continental U.S. : 37.5oF (normal 32.1oF, previous record 37.0oF in 1990). Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, March 10, 1998. January and February 1998: Highest rainfall, continental U.S. : 6.01 inches (normal 4.05 inches, previous record 5.7 inches in 1979). Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, March 10, 1998. Alaska, February 27, 1998: Early first singing of Varied Thrush and first hooting of Blue Grouse. March 29, 1998 Washington, D.C. (Dulles Airport), : Record High Temperature (86oF). March 30, 1998: Record High Temperatures in Atlantic City, N.J., Philadephia, PA, New York City, N.Y., Wilmington, DE (86oF) and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (89oF). World Meteorological Organization, March 31, 1998: The Northern Hemisphere had its warmest February since 1950 April 3, 1998: Record High Temperature (105oF) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam April 9, 1998: Deadliest Tornado Season in 14 years, U.S. May 9, 1998: Record High Temperature (33.9oC) Mexico City, Mexico June 8, 1998: Record World High Temperature: 1.76 degrees above the average of 61.7 degrees (1961 to 1990) June 8, 1998: Warmest Spring on record, Canada June 13, 1998: Wettest day on record, Boston, Mass., and Providence, R.I June 15, 1998: Earliest onset of monsoons in 97 years, India June 17, 1998: Warmest summer in 60 years, New Zealand July 2, 1998: Most officer fatalities by drowning, U.S. July 5, 1998: Warmest first half of a year since records began, Detroit, MI July 7, 1998: Warmest first half of a year since records began, global July 8, 1998: Warmest
January through June period since climate records were first kept in
1895, 12 Northeast U.S. states. 45.3 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 4.1 degrees
warmer than the normal 41.2 degrees
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The scientific community was not aware of the last big ENSO event in
1982 until it was well underway. This one was forecast in January 1997,
so we are watching it develop from a far earlier stage than has been previously
possible. Some of the reports may report events that will in retrospect
turn out to be coincidence, having nothing to do with ENSO at all. Others
may be previously unrecognized precursors. The reports are often second
hand or casual, edited out of other messages. Please check with the original
author before using the data.
David C. Duffy
Alaska Natural Heritage Program
University of Alaska
Anchorage
Tel 907-257-2784
Fax 907-257-2789
Email afdcd1@uaa.alaska.edu
Or use the Response
form
Text
file containing new observations posted 20 August 1998 - for searching
and/or downloadingText
file containing all of the above observations - for searching and/or
downloading
Books
on El nino, Biodiversity and Conservation