http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2006/s2699.htm

Sept. 13, 2006 — Scientists at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center
reported today that El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific
and are likely to continue into early 2007. Ocean temperatures increased
remarkably in the equatorial Pacific during the last two weeks. "Currently, weak
El Niño conditions exist, but there is a potential for this event to strengthen
into a moderate event by winter,"


Also, the development of weak El Niño conditions helps explain why this Atlantic
hurricane season has been less active than was previously expected. El Niño
typically acts to suppress hurricane activity by increasing the vertical wind
shear over the Caribbean Sea region. However, at this time the El Niño impacts
on Atlantic hurricanes are small.


Typical El Niño effects are likely to develop over North America during the
upcoming winter season. Those include warmer-than-average temperatures over
western and central Canada, and over the western and northern United States.
Wetter-than-average conditions are likely over portions of the U.S. Gulf Coast
and Florida, while drier-than-average conditions can be expected in the Ohio
Valley and the Pacific Northwest