Does ENSO Impact Hurricane Frequency?
Scientists have observed that during warm ENSO episodes (El Niño) there is an increased number of tropical storms and hurricanes in the eastern Pacific and a decrease in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and that La Niña events favor hurricane formation in the Atlantic. (Pielke, Landsea, 1998). See La Niña, El Niño, and Atlantic Hurricane Damages in the United States by Roger A. Pielke, Jr. and Christopher W. Landsea for more on the relationship between ENSO and tropical storms and hurricanes. . Images from NOAA’s Paleoclimatology Program, NGDC’s MGG, the Climate Diagnostic Center, PMDL and IRICP.
