Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Vive la El Niño....or maybe not.

I don't know if this means the hurricanes are dying down in the Atlantic or what, but El Niño is back according to the Climate Prediction Center. Unfortunately, some people will still be hurt in the Pacific front.

El Niño is a pattern of warm weather that rises off the coast of Peru, a part of a shift in the global climate. As a result, some wind patterns over the Atlantic rip apart tropical storms and hurricanes; although, that will result in a busier hurricane season in the Pacific, and in general, bad weather around the world.

El Niño will mean rainy winter in South Florida. Plus, it won't totally leave hurricane-weary people like me alone, because even during the El Niño period, one or two major hurricanes may hit Florida and the Gulf region. A recent reminder of hurricane history is Andrew, which happened during an El Niño period.

Still, I can't help but rejoice for the promise of having a few quiet hurricane years down here in Florida, since we had our share of broken structures and blue-tarped roofs. Still, worse off than us was New Orleans.

Maybe the weather will cut us a slack at least until the levees are made stronger. Maybe we can take down all our hurricane shutters before the season ends, but we won't, because we know better.