2010–12 La Niña Event

The 2010-12 La Niña was one of the strongest La Nina events on record. It caused Australia to experience its wettest September on record in 2010, and its second wettest year on record in 2010.[1] It also led to an unusual intensification of the Leeuwin Current.,[2] the 2010 Pakistan floods, the 2010–2011 Queensland floods, and the 2011 Horn of Africa drought. It also helped keep the average global temperature below recent trends, leading to 2011 tying with 1997 for the 14th warmest year on record.

Meteorological progression

During May 2009, the 2009-10 El Nino event started in the Pacific Ocean, before it reached its peak during December 2009.[3][4] The El Nino event subsequently broke down during the first quarter of 2010, with the climate of the Pacific Ocean returning to neutral conditions, by the end of April 2010.[3][4] By this time a number of climate models from several meteorological agencies, had started to suggest that a La Nina event could take place later in the year.[3] During May 2010 signals of a potential La Niña started to be observed over the tropical Pacific Ocean. As a result a La Nina watch was issued by the United States Climate Prediction Center, during their June 2010 ENSO diagnostic discussion.[5] As the ocean's surface temperature cooling progressed, more colder anomalies appeared at the International Date Line rather than over eastern Pacific, what allowed calling this event as a Modoki one.[6]

Impacts

Australia experienced its second- and third-wettest years, since a record of the rainfall started to kept during 1900.[3] California was close to drought by 2010, but lots of rainfall from the La Nina helped the prevention of drought that would've been likely by 2012. The pacific northwest saw 2011 being one of the coolest, wettest years on record, with temperatures still in the 50s and even rain/snow mix in May. The Midwest, Southeastern, and Northeastern United States also experienced an extremely wet 2011, leading to the 2011 Mississippi and Ohio river floods. La Nina was also responsible for 2011 being the most active tornado year, since documentation began in 1884. With several deadly tornado outbreaks striking the southern, northeastern, central, and midwestern united states ( see tornadoes of 2011). Texas fell into major drought with 2010-12 being some of the driest years ever for the state, it's cattle and agricultural production was in dire distress. 2011 was also one of the hottest years in Texas history. Several pictures were taken of the state "turning browner than ever" said meteroligist Stephanie Abrams ( see 2010-13 Texas Drought).

References

  1. ↑ "The 2010–11 La Niña: Australia soaked by one of the strongest events on record". Bom.gov.au. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  2. ↑ "La Niña forces unprecedented Leeuwin Current warming in 2011 : Scientific Reports : Nature Publishing Group". Nature.com. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Record-breaking La Niña events (PDF) (Report). Australian Bureau of Meteorology. July 2012. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Historical El Niño/La Niña episodes (1950-present)". United States Climate Prediction Center. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  5. ↑ El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) diagnostic discussion: June 2010 (PDF) (Report). United States Climate Prediction Center. June 3, 2010. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016.
  6. ↑ V. Platonov; E. Semenov; E. Sokolikhina (2014-02-13). "Extreme La-Nina 2010/11 and the vigorous flood at the north-east of Australia" (pdf). EGU General Assembly/Geophysical Research. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
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