[Warning] El Nino Is On Its Way, According To Satellite Data

El Nino is coming, but this one comes from space rather than the "secret signal" lanterns that Paul Revere's militiamen set in the Old North Church window.

Kelvin waves, which could be a sign of an impending El Nino, were detected by a satellite.

El Nino knocking on the door

According to NASA, the 2 to 4-inch waves that form at the equator have a length from north to south of hundreds of miles. 

They are short but powerful. From the western Pacific to the eastern Pacific, they are transporting warm water.

Before declaring that an "El Nino" has arrived, scientists wait for the central and eastern Pacific to be 0.5 degrees Celsius warmer than average for three months.

Previously, NOAA says El Nino is now a virtual lock to develop by summer and extend through the peak of hurricane season into the next winter.

The last three La Niña years were notable for the severe drought in California, the unbelievable flooding in Kentucky, and the blanket of rain that fell on entire communities in New Zealand and Australia. 

The opposite, but nonetheless harmful, effects of a powerful El Nino pattern are possible. 

Flooding in Kentucky

At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Josh Willis, a satellite project scientist, said, "We'll be watching this El Nino like a hawk." 

"If it's a big one, the world will see record warming, but here in the Southwest United States, we could be looking at another wet winter, right on the heels of the soaking we got last winter," said the weather expert.

Despite NOAA's warning to keep an eye out for a rainy Gulf Coast, a change in wind direction usually prevents hurricane development.

"Wetter-than-average weather along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida during this 6-month period (October - March) is the most trustworthy of these signs (the one that has been recorded most frequently). 

In the previous 100 years, this link has been present for more than 80% of El Nino events, according to NOAA. 

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