From Radio Iowa
The summer heat dropped off the last few days and Iowa State University Climatologist, Elwyn Taylor, says that’s a result of a very strong El Nino (El-NEEN-yoh).
“One of the major effects of having an El Nino in place is that we do not have oppressive heat. And during the past few days in Iowa, people have been enjoying a taste of fall. That also does avoid having extreme cold, but that’s in the winter,” Taylor says. While the weather pattern has cooled things down,
Taylor says it doesn’t necessarily mean an early end to Iowa’s growing season.
“es, an early frost could occur because it doesn’t prevent it. But it doesn’t necessarily indicate that we would be moving toward such a thing,” Taylor says.
Taylor says Iowa is in an area of the world where El Nino affects temperature more than precipitation.
“As far as precipitation goes, that is not so definitive with an El Nino when it comes to Iowa and our immediate neighbors, Taylor says. “But we seldom have drought conditions during El Nino , but it has happened.” El Nino is a warming of Pacific Ocean waters off South America’s west coast that changes global weather patterns. The current El Nino is one of the strongest on record.
