Warmer Pacific Ocean could cause wetter winter in Arizona

PHOENIX — Arizona State University climate expert Randy Cerveny said the warm Pacific Ocean that helped fuel hurricanes Norbert and Odile could also mean that Arizona will have a wetter than typical winter.

That warming, known as El Nino, generally means more rain and snow here in the winter, based on the aftereffects of previous hurricanes from the Pacific.

“I think that’s the logical reason why we’re getting so many of these (hurricanes),” Cerveny said. “When we go back through the records and look for these situations, like Nora back in 1997, we find generally these occurred in El Nino years.”

El Nino is usually at its strongest from December to April.

The 1997-98 El Nino was one of most severe on record. Cerveny said right after that event Arizona went into drought. The state has been there ever since.

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