The rains returned to California with a vengeance this week, with many areas of the state receiving several inches of rain.  I previously discussed the “Pineapple Express” and the stream of moisture which feeds into the Pacific coastal areas to create intense rainstorms.  You can read one description of the recent storms here.

Many climatologists believe that this is a sign that the El Nino is on the verge of reappearing.  In fact, NOAA has bumped up the chances of El Nino appearing to 65 percent from the 50s last month.  But how are California rainfall and El Nino related?  The NOAA Climate blog discusses this and shows that it is not as simple as you might think.  You can read it at https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/fun-statistics-el-ni%C3%B1o-and-california-rainfall.

Source: Commons Wikimedia
Source: Commons Wikimedia